Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Zuerst: Verschleppte der Huthis / At first: Houthi detainees
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Huthi-Raketen / Houthi missiles
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Zuerst: Verschleppte der Huthis / At first: Houthi detainees
(A P)
Yemen's Houthis 'kidnap' daughter of Saleh's personal guard
Yemen's Houthi rebels have kidnapped the 18-year-old daughter of one of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's personal guards, an action that is considered hugely shameful within the country's tribal traditions.
A journalist based in the rebel-held capital, who did not want to be named for fear of his safety, said on Wednesday that tribal leaders were trying to mediate with the Houthis to secure her release.
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H)
Over 600,000 people have listened to one child’s Christmas call to arms. Your turn…
Over half a million people have listened to a child’s message released just before Christmas. The 13-year-old Yemeni girl – Amran – calls on all “free people” around the world to help stop the war in her country.
2018 is just round the corner. Let’s make a resolution to ensure this young girl’s wish comes true.
“Stop the war”
Al Jazeera released Amran’s video on 21 December. That was the 1,001st day of the war in Yemen. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been carrying out a brutal military campaign in the country. In a two-week period in December alone, the Saudi-led coalition reportedly killed 136 civilians with bombs.
Amran wants the world to end this. And her story shows why it’s so vital we do.
In the video, Amran begins:
I call on all the free people around the world to stop the war in Yemen. I used to walk and go to school normally just like all children.
But an airstrike badly wounded Amran’s back in 2015. So now, she can’t play or go to school like she used to. Her parents also can’t afford to pay for an operation, as her father hasn’t received his civil servant wages for 18 months (with film)
(** B H)
Most parents in Yemen cannot afford treatment for malnourished children
The malnourished children are in agonising pain much of the time. Their piercing cries are a result of malnutrition. Their mothers nurse them helplessly, unable to take any action. They sit together to talk about the suffering of their children. In this, they find some solace.
The doctors say the children can survive if they are treated on time. But many parents are unable to afford the treatment.
Nearly 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished and require urgent care. At least 462,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a drastic increase of almost 200 percent since 2014.
An additional 1.7 million children suffer from Moderate Acute Malnutrition, UNICEF said in December 2016.
The World Bank estimates that the poverty rate has doubled to 62 percent of Yemen’s 27 million people, with public sector salaries paid only irregularly.
"We cannot buy food for our children, and usually they sleep hungry, so it is difficult to pay YR5,000 per day. The hospital helps us with milk and vitamins but we still need to buy other medicines."
"When we feel that a child suffers from emaciation, we try to provide them with food, but that does not help as doctors told us that the lack of food is the main reason of the disease but it is not the cure,” Kateba added.
In the most seriously affected governorates of Taiz and Hodeida, Save the Children estimates that a staggering 10,000 children are predicted to die this year in each region due to hunger.
most of the malnourished children live on the outskirts of al-Hodeida. They cannot pay for transportation and medicine, so no one helps them.
"During the last two and half years, many people lost their jobs, so there are many malnourished children living on the outskirts of al-Hodeida like al-Garahi and al-Tohaita and no one helps them,"
The recent blockade of al-Hodeida seaport aggravated the situation in the north – by Nasser Al-Sakkaf
(** B H)
Film: Starvation in Sanaa: 1,000 days of Yemen's civil war
After 1,000 days of civil war in Yemen, 8 million people are at risk of starvation.
(** B E K)
Economical aspect of the Loss and damage during 1000 days of Saudi aggression on Yemen
Islamic World News Analysis Group: After 1000 days of the imposed war on Yemen, the figures represent the true face of the Saudi-led coalition. A coalition that carries the name of Islam and the fight against terrorism, but its goals are not to combat oppression and justice, but to kill Muslims and destroy Islamic countries.
Physical assets:
Private sector :
Fishing :
Agricultural sector:
Transport sector :
Electricity sector:
My comment: The sum is more than US $ 200 billion.
Comment: You cannot quantify human loss, the pain, the trauma, the dear ones scarred.
You cannot quantify fear, the anger and tears shed.
But, on the economical side, these numbers say a lot.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1591577987561892
(** B K)
Saudi-US Aggression Targets and Destroys Yemen’s Cultural Heritage
The American-Saudi aggression targeted the culture and heritage sector in Yemen, causing huge and varied damages, including historic cities, monuments, property and cultural facilities within 1000 days of systematic targeting of identity, memory and Yemeni cultural heritage.
On the level of historic cities, recent data revealed the targeting of aggression to a number of historical cities, foremost of which are the three historical Yemeni cities listed in the World Heritage List, namely, historic Sana’a, Shibam Hadramout, Zabid, and other cities such as Shibam Kokban, Al Mahweet, Hajjah, Ibad, Monuments and historical value including the effects of the city of Barraksh, which was targeted by the aggression more than five successive raids and other cities and landmarks targeted by the aggression.
Historical Cities
The deputy head of the General Commission for the Preservation of Historic Cities Nabil Munasar told Saba that the American-Saudi aggression has caused great and varied damage in historical cities throughout Yemen.
He pointed out that the last survey of damage to the historic city of Sana’a as a result of the aggression included (2542) houses, including (577) houses with no damage, and (1965) houses damaged by different (1460) houses suffered minor damage and 376 houses (86) houses were severely damaged and (43) houses were completely destroyed.
He added that
“the aggression severely damaged the city of Saada by targeting 150 houses and in the city of Shibam Kokban (180) homes and in the city of Shibam Hadramout (160) including the damage caused by al-Qaeda operations in Taiz, Three houses and four historic buildings were targeted. In Shabwa, two houses were targeted. In Yarm, Jabla and Ibb, 400 houses were targeted with varying damages. In Zabid, indirect damage was caused to 40 houses. In Sana’a governorate, Atan and in the province of Aden targeted aggression (32) a historic building and a museum and in the province of Dhamar was targeted museum Regional R including the relics. ”
He pointed out that this statistic is still incomplete, because the possibilities were not available and facilitate the implementation of descent and comprehensive monitoring of all historical cities, but it is discretionary according to available resources.
Archaeology
Museums and cultural property
http://www.yemenpress.org/slider/damages-on-yemeni-culture-sector-and-heritage-by-saudi-us-aggression-in-1000-days.html = https://www.globalresearch.ca/saudi-us-aggression-targets-and-destroys-yemens-cultural-heritage/5623646
(** B K P)
Addressing Security Sector Reform in Yemen Challenges and Opportunities for Intervention During and Post-Conflict
a look at the historical evolu- tion of the security sector in North and South Yemen before unity, as well in a unified Yemen after 1990, can offer an opportunity to think constructively about post-conflict security sector reform (SSR)1 should the time come, as well as opportunities for positive interventions even now, while the conflict is ongoing. Whether intervention occurs during or post-conflict, the actors involved will be a mixture of local, sub-national and national, regional (e.g. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran) and international players. The priorities these diverse actors set and the measures they take will deeply affect Yemen’s future.
Recognizing this new momentum in the international community’s approach to Yemen, CARPO and the Regional Programme Gulf States of the KonradAdenauer-Foundation (KAS) organized a conference from 3-6 April 2017 at the Dead Sea in Jordan with the aim of bringing together distinguished experts from Yemen and abroad with actors from the international community working on Yemen in order to discuss the historical evolution of the Yemeni security sector and its current state, as well as to identify the challenges to and opportunities for constructive interventions during and post-conflict. This publication is a result of this conference.
There was consensus among the speakers, as well as in the audience, that the state’s security sector, particularly the army, cannot be rebuilt as long as the war continues.
The fact that the armed forces and security services in Yemen have always operated under informal rules, even before the army first split in the course of the Yemeni uprising of 2011, will make any attempt at SSR, even with a peace agreement, an extremely difficult task, as is pointed out by Peter Salisbury, Adam C. Seitz and Baraa Shiban in their respective papers – edited by Marie-Christine Heinze
http://carpo-bonn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/carpo_policy_report_04_2017.pdf and main page http://carpo-bonn.org/en/carpo-reports/ (other reports on Yemen, from 2016 and 2014, to be reached from there)
(** B K P)
The Houthis' endgame in Yemen
The Houthis are trying to resurrect the imamate that once ruled Yemen, but they lack support from most Yemenis.
Unfortunately, over the past three years, some of what has been written about the Houthis' rise to power has inaccurately depicted the Houthis as a popular indigenous opposition movement and as the victims of religious and political oppression trying to take their legitimate place in Yemen's political order.
Such narratives, perhaps motivated in some cases by analysts' understandable outrage over the actions of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and a desire to convince the United States to stop supporting it, often downplayed the Houthis' wartime atrocities across Yemen and their broader threat to the country's stability.
But the Houthis' quest for power runs much deeper.
They have been pushing by force from their stronghold south towards Sanaa since the late 2000s, and more aggressively since 2011. By the time the decision to divide Yemen into six regions was taken, the Houthis had already managed to take control over large swaths of the north, including parts of Amran, Hajja and al-Jawf.
And today, the Houthi-run government in Sanaa is one of the most corrupt Yemen has ever seen, raising serious questions about their claim to have the moral high ground in the conflict – by Nadwa Al-Dawsari
http://www.aljazeera.com/amp/indepth/opinion/houthis-endgame-yemen-171221082107181.html
Comment by Judith Brown: The woman who writes this has always been very strongly against the Houthis and the Houthi- Saleh alliance but there is something behind what she says. The leaders of the Houthis are from the Sada. The Sada are a sort of aristocracy of Yemen - they are descended from the Prophet and they ruled Yemen for a millennium - often brutally. They have had a lot of political disagreements with Islah in the past - and present - and the author seems to be pro Islah in other articles so the article needs to be read in that context. In the NDC the Houthis took part mostly constructively and their leaders put forward ideas for a progressive form of government in Yemen.
One of the problems was that the more democratically minded Houthi leaders were assassinated during the NDC and the leadership now seems to rely on religious slogans rather than policy. In negotiations the Houthis accepted a role in leadership and did not expect to get a majority in elections after the NDC ended - we don't know if this still stands because the current leadership hasn't really expressed an opinion and the negotiations for peace have not been made public as far as I know.
But the traditional position of the Sada is that only Sada are allowed to rule Yemen - although in recent decades there has been some adjustment to this position - with the view that it would be ideal if the ruler was from the Sada but as long as the ruler is fair and just he (or presumably she) would be accepted. But the Houthis have not been the main obstacle in peace talks - in fact Hadi has clung on to the biased and faulty UNSCR 2216 which demands his return something very few Yemenis would tolerate, and that is one of the reasons why UAE do not like him and do not support him. I don't think Yemen wants to go back to an Imamate again and most people tolerate them and do not want them to rule Yemen - they support them only because they are fighting off foreign intruders.
The Houthis used to have a strong stand against corruption but they are now as corrupt as all the other militias. The people fighting for the Houthis of course aren't those of the Sada, but they are largely from the same groups are those who supported the Imamate in the war of independence in the 1960s - when Saudi Arabia and the U.K. backed the Imamate too - in fact I heard that because Saudi pilots refused to kill fellow Muslims in that war, British pilots flew their planes and dropped their bombs for them. And I guess a lot of people in U.K. support the royal family and the House of Lords, which is rather similar to the Sada in Yemen. I read somewhere that 5% of the population of Yemen was killed by the bombs that we dropped then.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156226270223641
and Comment by Marc Springer: She actually was pro Houthis before the conflict started, I know that because she told me that. She is reflexively anti-Houthi and often sounds anti Hashimi. I stopped talking with her at the beginning of the conflict because she had a nasty habit of making personal attacks rather than addressing issues. I know she is popular in some quarters, but the fact that she was pro Houthi, then anti-Houthi, seems to be anti Hashimi and cannot control her emotions and act in an academic manner means that I tend to discount most of what she writes, as do many others. When you want to put yourself out as an academic you have to at least try to look somewhat impartial, but she does not. She has actively taken sides in the conflict so anything she writes must be seen as propaganda.
I also think your statement was top notch. I am not convinced that the Houthis are demanding a return to an Imamate or Hashimi rule. This claim is often used by those who are reflexively anti Hashimi and is used to relegate them to the sidelines, in much the same way that Saleh did. In this way it is a continuation of his divide and rule tactic and would continue the marginalisation of the north that has a central rule in this conflict. To push the idea that the Houthis/Hashimi are stuck in the Imamate/Hashimi dogma ignores decades of change within Zaydi religious circles and plays off of old prejudices and bigotry. Yes, I am sure some would want an Imamate and Hashimi rule. Other progressive Zaydi scholars have come out with the concept that it is enough for the Hashimi to play a leading role in the religious affairs of the nations as scholars and advisors. The other line put out by the anti Hashimi types is about jihad, again ignoring modern scholars who have ruled that jihad is not obligatory when there is a democratic system in place where injustices could be addressed in a legal state sanctioned framework. The Hashimi/Imamate/Jihad issues are peddled out when someone is trying to relegate and sideline Zaydis and the Hashimi society. I am as much against religious involvement in government as it is possible to be. I can also recognise the dog whistle taunts of the anti-Zaydis and anti-Houthis, which often today mascaraed themselves as anti-Houthi.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156226270223641
(** B K P)
Film, Talk: Has the Yemen campaign achieved its goals?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Abdullah al-Shayji - Professor of Political Science, Kuwait University
Helen Lackner - London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Mohammed Jumeh - writer, columnist and editor of Al Quds Arabic newspaper
(** B H K)
The ‘absurd’ war: How Riyadh sacked the Yemeni fighters defending its border
Thousands have headed home in the past few months, but they face hostility and an uncertain future in Yemen
When Ali returned home to his village in Taiz's al-Shimayateen district, he dare not tell his friends and family what he had been doing during the past few months.
Like many Yemenis, war-time poverty had forced the unemployed 29-year-old cook, who had been working in Sanaa, to make tough choices to survive.
In Ali's case it was to become a mercenary, to fight on behalf of Saudi Arabia, which has bombed Yemen since early 2015, to defend the kingdom’s borders from the Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, the Saudi forces themselves stayed stationed several kilometres behind the frontlines.
The attraction of fighting for Saudi was clear to the unemployed Yemenis, from teachers and civil servants to delivery drivers and builders, who signed up. Yemen's average wage is $66 per month but fighting on behalf of Riyadh could see a fighter paid anything from SR2,500 to SR3,000 ($800) per month.
Most of the fighters came from poorer communities in Taiz, Marib and southern provinces
But then, according to Ali, the fighting died down during the late summer and autumn, and was certainly not as fierce as when he first arrived.
Walid says his wage was enough for him to help his family while saving half for himself. But then the Saudis stopped paying the Yemenis who had joined up in 2017 and who, according to Walid, made up more than half the fighting force.
He estimates that each battalion contained more than a thousand fighters, that there are dozens of such units and that a quarter of that number could do the task.
Fearful of losing their income, hundreds of Yemenis, including Walid, marched in peaceful unarmed protest towards the Saudi military camps, where the Saudis and fighters from other Arab nationalities arrested them.
Saudi officers then told them that they were no longer needed, paid each fighter SR1,500 and sent them back to Marib where they had trained months earlier.
The only chance that many fighters have for earning money is to join anti-Houthi units close to where they live.
Abdullah, one of the leaders of the Popular Resistance in Taiz, said it was willing to recruit returning fighters. "We do not support the idea of joining the battles of the Saudi on their borders as we need Yemeni fighters in Yemen to liberate Taiz and other provinces.
"We are willing to recruit the fighters who returned from Saudi and give them irregular salaries as all Yemeni fighters in the local fronts."
But the wages for fighters in Yemen, at $130 per month, are less than a quarter those fighting on the Saudi front.
(** B P)
Trump and the Yemen War: Misrepresenting the Houthis as Iranian proxies
The involvement of numerous foreign actors on all sides of the Yemen war has not changed the fact that fundamentally the conflict remains tied to local dynamics. This is particularly true with regard to the Houthis, the militant group currently controlling much of Yemen’s north and facing off against forces associated with the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Saudi-led military coalition.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has been a vociferous opponent of Iran – along with its Gulf Arab allies and the Yemeni government – and has advanced a conception of the Houthis as agents of Iran and a policy that aims to “hit Iran in Yemen.” Hawkish elements of the US Republican party and its supporters have also reinforced an understanding of the Houthis as one-dimensional Iranian pawns, framing them solely in regional sectarian terms.
This, however, obscures complex reality: the Houthis are a home-grown Yemeni group with popular support, self-sustaining social and financial networks, an independent leadership whose primary considerations are local power dynamics, and an affinity with Iran based far more in politics than religion. Simultaneously for Tehran, the ongoing Yemen conflict and the Houthis have provided a convenient, low-cost means to harass their main Gulf opponent, Saudi Arabia.
Whether the Trump administration intends to pursue war or peace, failing to understand the motivations, actions and nature of the Houthis lays the groundwork for flawed foreign policy decision making, and makes it more difficult to exert political, diplomatic or even military pressure on the group.
Indeed, a policy that further isolates the Houthis internationally would likely push the group further under the influence of Tehran. As well, if the US government sees the Houthis as a proxy target for Iran, Iranian military planners will be highly incentivized to back the Houthis more substantially, given that the Iranians would have little to lose themselves, while their opponents – the US and Saudi Arabia – would be risking a great deal. Increased Iranian support for the Houthis would in turn elevate the security risks for Saudi Arabia.
Trump’s consistent framing of the Yemen conflict as the product of Iranian malfeasance also reduces Washington’s ability rally the international community into a united front regarding the conflict, or to pressure the main warring parties back to the negotiating table.
Rather than isolating the Houthis further, US diplomatic engagement presents a more promising option, as the Houthis have responded positively to the direct talks previously entered into with both Saudi Arabia and US officials – By Adam Baron, Waleed Alhariri and Anthony Biswell
http://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/5201
(** B P)
Washington Post Calls For Outrage About War On Yemen - Hides U.S. Role In It
Just in time for Christmas the Washington Post laments the cholera epidemic in Yemen caused by the U.S.-Saudi war on the country: One million people have caught cholera in Yemen. You should be outraged.
YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED, says the Washington Post. But outraged at whom? Not one word in the piece mentions that the U.S. is directing the war on Yemen and providing to the Saudis all they need to commit the ongoing war crimes.
The U.S. provides the bombs, it provides the intelligence and since early this year it doubled its refueling flights for the Saudi bombing attacks. (The military is now intentionally muddlingthat data.)
The Saudi attacks, with U.S. bombs, based on intelligence the U.S. provides and enabled by U.S. refueling, intentionally targets water, food supplies and infrastructure to starve the population
There is not one word about all that that in Washington Post piece. According to the Post the U.S simply does not exist in that war. It is a "Saudi campaign" and "Saudi coalition" that wages the war and causes the cholera without one word that the U.S. and UK are part of it. Apparently it is editorial policy of the Washington Post to never mention the U.S. culpability in that war. Earlier reports, editorials and op-eds also make no mention of U.S. military role in the war.
Apparently you should be outraged that lack of basic food and easily preventable cholera is killing people in Yemen, but not at those who cause it.
I for one am outraged at the Washington Post and those despicable editors and writers who are covering up the war crimes their country is committing.
(** B K P)
The Killing Of Ali Abdullah Saleh: Is Peace In Yemen Possible? – Analysis
More immediately, two recent factors stick out that potentially have significant geopolitical consequences. First, the recent meeting between the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, with leaders of Yemen’s Islamist Islah party in the wake of the killing of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The question is whether Mohammed bin Zayed, who for the almost three years of the Yemen war opposed Saudi cooperation with Islah, sees an alliance with the party as an opportunistic one-off move or whether it signals a shift in policy that could be repeated elsewhere in the Middle East. If so, that would have consequences for the dispute with Qatar and there is no sign of that.
The second factor are Houth ballistic missile strikes.
There was no smoking gun that established beyond doubt that Iran could be held responsible for the missile strikes.
The long and short of all of this is that the war in Yemen cannot be seen independent of the convulsions of change that have enveloped the Middle East in a convoluted and often violent process with no end in sight. The wars in Syria and Iraq are dying down. Yet, without policies that ensure that all groups in society feel that they have a stake in society, the seeds for renewed conflict are being sown. The same is ultimately also true for Yemen. Whatever one thinks of Mr. Obama, he got it right when he told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg that Saudi Arabia will have to learn to share the Middle East with Iran – by James M. Dorsey
http://www.eurasiareview.com/21122017-the-killing-of-ali-abdullah-saleh-is-peace-in-yemen-possible-analysis/ = https://www.theglobalist.com/saudi-arabia-iran-proxy-war-yemen-arms/ = http://lobelog.com/the-killing-of-ali-abdullah-saleh-is-peace-in-yemen-possible/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(** A H)
Today, the number of suspected #cholera cases in #Yemen since late April just passed one million (1.001,428 cases and 2,227 associated deaths). (image)
https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/944225605620523008
(** A H)
In addition to the million suspected cases of cholera in #Yemen, there is a growing Diptheria outbreak that has an 11% fatality rate, 90% of which are children under 15. (infographic)
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/944221096466927616
(* A H)
Fighting Cholera, fighting for Life
In order to contain and prevent the spread of cholera in affected areas, ACTED partnered with OCHA to implement a dual community and household level emergency response, in order to improve the water supplies and hygiene environments in homes and in health facilities.
ACTED targeted households in Raymah, Al Dhale’e and Ibb communities, reaching 2,500 households with cholera prevention kits, cholera awareness sessions, and water treatment practices training. If a location with a confirmed case of cholera has a population of less than 500 households, ACTED will conduct distributions of cholera kits.
These cholera prevention kits contained a supply of aquatabs, which are tablets of chlorine to be put into water containers, soap, jerry cans, and laundry detergent powder.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/fighting-cholera-fighting-life
(* A P)
Arab alliance: Yemen one million cholera cases report exaggerated
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Friday an announcement by the International Committee of the Red Cross that cholera cases in the country had reached one million suspected cases was exaggerated.
“It is nearly impossible to accurately determine whether the suspected cases are cholera or simple diarrhea,” a statement by the spokesperson for the coalition said.
My comment: “One million cholera cases due to Saudi blockade” , this sounds bad. Thus Saudi propaganda tells us a new story. Prof. Dr. med. Colonel Al-Maliki is telling us his new medical theory (to be published in “Scientific American” next month). Well, these figure (by WHO) can be followed back until the beginning of the epidemics, nearly day by day, rising from news to news, sometimes faster, in the last months slower – and now just the 1 million is reached.
Comment by Judith Brown:
Can you believe this?? How can they deny what is happening when they are not there? In fact because most people cannot afford hospital care many may be dying at home without medical treatment and it is more likely that cholera cases are UNDER REPORTED.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156231375468641
(** A H)
'Hideous Milestone' in Yemen, says Red Cross, as U.S.-Backed War Results in One Million Cholera Cases
Marking a "hideous milestone" in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday that the number of cholera cases in the country has passed one million—a direct result of the U.S.-backed war that has ravaged one of the world's most impoverished nations.
"This suffering is the direct result of a fractured healthcare system due to prolonged conflict in the country," said Michelle Gayer, Senior Director of Emergency Health at the IRC. "Cholera has plagued the Yemeni people since April, and now easily preventable diseases are beginning to wreak havoc on a population already in need. If the war continues, Yemen will see even more outbreaks of other diseases that have not been seen in years."
(** B H)
A ‘Hideous Milestone’ in Yemen: One Million Cases of Cholera
Because of the fuel shortage brought on by the tightened coalition blockade, millions of people who were previously able to pump clean drinking water are no longer able to do so. The lack of clean water makes a resurgence of cholera and other water-borne diseases much more likely. Until the blockade is fully lifted, the civilian population will be deprived of the essential food, fuel, and medicine needed to combat this disease and others like it. Yemeni civilians continue to face an unacceptably high risk of contracting and possibly dying from preventable diseases because of the Saudi-led war and blockade supported by the U.S. and other Western governments. The conditions that have caused and sustained this epidemic were created by the Saudi-led coalition through their indiscriminate bombing and punitive blockade. This is an ongoing crime against the people of Yemen, it is an outrage, and it has to be stopped – by Daniel Larison
(* B H)
One million people have caught cholera in Yemen. You should be outraged.
Recently, the story of Yemen has been told in statistics: A brutal campaign of air strikes by Saudi Arabia has killed 10,000. Eight million people — one-third of the population — are teetering on the brink of famine. Eighty percent of the country lacks access to food, fuel, clean water and health care. Even so, this number stands out.
Let that sink in for a second. A million people have contracted a disease that we've understood how to treat and contain since John Snow sat by a water pump in 1854. For cholera to spread this fast, everything has to go wrong. In Yemen, everything has.
(* A H)
Cholera epidemic in Yemen now affects one million people
The war-torn country is experiencing the worst cholera epidemic the world has seen in a decade according to the Red Cross. Yet cholera is not the only problem Yemenis face, they also lack food, water, medicine and fuel.
One of the major obstacles to bringing relief to Yemen's civilian population has been Saudi Arabia's reluctance to open ports and airfields allowing humanitarian aid into the country.
http://www.dw.com/en/cholera-epidemic-in-yemen-now-affects-one-million-people/a-41894212
(* A H)
Suspected cholera cases in Yemen hit one million: ICRC
(* A H)
Eine Million Cholera-Verdachtsfälle
(* A H)
Diphtheria – Yemen: Disease outbreak news, 22 December 2017
On 29 October 2017, the WHO team in Sana’a, Yemen received reports of suspected cases of Diphtheria from Ibb governorate. From 13 August through 21 December 2017, a total of 333 suspected cases including 35 deaths (case fatality ratio = 10.5%) have been reported from 20 governorates. In the absence of laboratory-confirmation, the current situation is being treated as an outbreak of suspected diphtheria based on clinical diagnosis.
The majority of cases have been reported from Ibb Governorate (187 suspected cases). Seventy-nine percent of cases are less than 20 years old while 19% are children under 5 years old.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/diphtheria-yemen-disease-outbreak-news-22-december-2017
(* A H)
ACAPS Briefing Note – Yemen: Diphtheria outbreak, Briefing note – 22 December 2017
312 suspected cases of diphtheria have been reported in Yemen between mid-August and 20 December. The outbreak has resulted in 35 deaths reported. At 11%, the case fatality rate (CFR) is high. 18 out of Yemen’s 22 governorates are affected, with Ibb having the majority of cases. Children aged 5-14 account for around 50% of suspected cases. About 90% of fatalities were reported in children aged less than 15.
Yemen’s health system is severely affected by conflict, import restrictions on medicines and supplies, collapsing infrastructure, and critical shortages of health staff.
(* B H)
Preventable, Forgotten Diseases Re-emerging in Besieged Yemen
The charity, Doctors Without Borders reports preventable, long-forgotten diseases are re-emerging in Yemen due to the catastrophic war that has been going on since March 2015.
Marc Poncin is Emergency Coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Yemen. He said an outbreak of diphtheria emerged in early October.
"Today, we have a bit more than 300 cases of diphtheria, 35 deaths," he said. "So, it is a mortality rate of above 10 percent. What is really worrying with diphtheria is the mortality rate in the under-five. We have 25 percent, one out of four children dying of diphtheria in Yemen."
Unfortunately, he said the vaccines needed to prevent diphtheria and the antibiotics to treat the infection are both in short supply.
Yemen is suffering the worst cholera epidemic in history.
https://www.voanews.com/a/preventable-forgotten-diseases-reemerging-besieged-yemen/4173653.html
My comment: Rabies forgotten here.
(** A H)
Yemen: Cholera Response Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin: W50 2017 (December 11 - 17) [EN/AR]
The cumulative total from 27 April 2017 to 17 December 2017 is 994,751 suspected cholera cases and 2,226 associated deaths,(CFR 0.22%), 1069 have been confirmed by culture.
59.3 % of death were severe cases at admission
The total proportion of severe cases among the suspected cases is 17.5%
Children under 5 years old represent 28.3% of total suspected cases.
(* A H)
UNICEF airlifts nearly 6 million doses of vaccines for children in Yemen amid intensifying violence and import restrictions
A UNICEF-chartered plane landed today in Sana’a and delivered nearly 6 million doses of essential vaccines to protect millions of children at risk of preventable diseases, including the current diphtheria outbreak that has reportedly infected over 300 people and killed 35. Most diphtheria cases and deaths are in children.
“Vaccinating children in Yemen now is critical to protect them from preventable diseases and death. It is vital that vaccines and other lifesaving supplies for children continue to flow into Yemen and across the country unimpeded. They are a lifeline for millions of children”, said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.
(* B H)
Wa SH Needs Assessment Report for Cholera in As Silw District - Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF) October 30th, 2017
This report summarizes the results of the survey of the water, sanitation and hygiene needs of cholera outbreak in As Silw District, Taiiz governorate, which was carried out by Tamdeen Youth foundation (TYF) in coordination with WASH sub-cluster (Taiz, Ibb Hub).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/wa-sh-needs-assessment-report-cholera-silw-district-tamdeen-youth-foundation-tyf and in full https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/WASH-Needs-Assesment-Report-TYF-30102017-en..pdf
cp1b Huthi-Raketen / Houthi missiles
Großbritannien / United Kingdom cp10.
Deutschland / Germany cp11.
(B K P)
Teheraner Freitagsimam: Es gibt keinen Beleg über Transfer iranischer Raketen nach Jemen
In seiner Ansprache zum heutigen Freitagsgebet von Teheran unterstrich Ayatollah Emami-Kaschani: "Laut einschlägigen Experten waren die durch Jemen eingesetzten Raketen nicht iranischer Herkunft, außerdem gibt es keine Indizien für die Lieferung iranischer Raketen an Jemen, betonte er."
(** B K P)
Nikki Haley’s frantic missile display betrays US anxiety over the Yemen war
As Yemen’s Houthis fire another ballistic missile at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s ability to prosecute the war with impunity diminishes
The firm US conviction as expressed by Haley is more based on politics than evidence. It is instructive that a UN panel of experts investigating the ballistic missile strikes found no "smoking gun" as to the specific maker or supplier of the missiles.
Irrespective of the missiles’ origin, their strategic impact is already evident, as demonstrated by Haley's dramatic and - in part - desperate presentation. By demonstrating its ability to strike deep inside Saudi Arabia, the Ansar Allah movement (aka the Houthis) have established a sufficiently strong deterrent capability which is set to influence the outcome of the war.
Rhetoric aside, the sole technical aspect of Haley's case against Iran is the questionable assertion that Qiam-1 is the only ballistic missile in the world without stabiliser fins. If this is the strongest technical aspect of the case, then as sceptics have pointed out, it leaves key questions unanswered.
US and Saudi charges of an Iranian connection completely fail to take into account Yemen's pre-existing stockpile of ballistic missiles.
Beyond technical issues, there is a clear strategic logic for the IRGC to help the Houthis develop deterrent capabilities, especially in the context of Saudi escalation. It is clear that the targeting of Riyadh has rattled both the Saudis and the Americans, thus prompting Haley's frantic presentation.
American and Saudi fears are compounded by emerging reports that the US-supplied Patriot missile defence system may have failed to destroy the missile aimed at King Khaled international airport.
In view of the Houthis' demonstrable ability to target sensitive Saudi sites, the kingdom is likely to be more cautious in its bombing campaign of Yemen. Saudi leaders are now all too aware that any serious escalation, particularly high-casualty attacks, may prompt the Houthis to target Riyadh in retaliation – by Mahan Abedin
(* B K P)
Riad erneut im Clinch mit Teheran – ein Dilemma für Moskau
Vorwürfe gegen Teheran sind eine unentbehrliche Komponente der saudischen Informationspolitik – darauf weist ein russischer Experte hin. Nun wird der Iran erneut beschuldigt, die Huthi-Rebellen zu bewaffnen. Wie soll die Regierung in Moskau in dieser Situation vorgehen? Sie will ja die Beziehungen weder mit Teheran noch mit Riad ruinieren.
Der russische Politik-Experte Grigori Lukjanow sagte der Onlinezeitung gazeta.ru im Hinblick auf den jüngsten Raketenbeschuss Saudi-Arabiens vom Jemen aus: „Solche Raketenstarts hatte es auch zuvor gegeben. Sie zielen nicht so sehr darauf ab, den Saudis einen ernsthaften materiellen Schlag zu verüben, sondern eher darauf, einen gewissen symbolischen Effekt zu bewirken und die Bereitschaft der Huthi zu bekräftigen, einen Krieg gegen den Eindringling zu führen, und zwar mit allen zugänglichen Kräften und Mitteln.“
https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20171221318796977-saudi-jemen-teheran-information-beziehungen/
(* B K P)
The Trump Administration Is Putting the US on a Path to War With Iran
A recent speech by Nikki Haley eerily recalls Colin Powell’s 2003 UN speech in which he falsely accused Iraq of having a WMD program.
Haley also resembles her immediate predecessor at the UN, Samantha Power, who had a habit of making serial misrepresentations about the Ukrainian, Syrian and Yemeni crises. Haley has become, as Power was, the embodiment of America’s bipartisan foreign-policy orthodoxy at its most hypocritical.
For all of Haley’s handwringing about the war in Yemen, she neglected to mention that it is American “ally” Saudi Arabia (with US tactical support) that is waging a total blockade on Yemeni ports of entry that is resulting in a crisis of mass starvation as well as a cholera epidemic in that country.
The reaction to Haley’s presentation was swift and damning.
That Haley has emerged as one of the administration’s principal hard-liners on Iran is no surprise, given her close ties to the casino mogul and pro-Israel stalwart Sheldon Adelson. As veteran Middle East journalist Jim Lobe has pointed out, “between May and June, 2016, Sheldon Adelson contributed $250,000 to Haley’s 527 political organization, A Great Day, funds that she used to target four Republican state senate rivals in primaries.”
But Haley’s speech is just one part of a larger effort by the administration to increase tensions with Iran while at the same time bringing American Middle East policy even more in line with the wishes of Tel Aviv and Riyadh.
(* A K P)
White House: Statement by the Press Secretary on Saudi Arabia and Yemen
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the December 19 Houthi ballistic missile attack against al-Yamamah Royal Palace in Riyadh, the seat of the Saudi Royal Court and official residence of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Since early November, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also enabled Houthi missile attacks against Riyadh’s international airport.
We urge the United Nations Security Council to hold Iran responsible for its repeated and blatant violations of Security Council resolutions. We call on all parties to support a political solution to the war in Yemen, which is the only way to advance long-term stability in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-saudi-arabia-yemen/
My comment: mere hypocrisy, as the Saudi bombing campaign is notjust estimated to be much less criminal than these Houthi missiles which did not any harm. And again these missiles are used for anti-Iranian polemics.
(* B K P)
Trump’s Gross Hypocrisy on Yemen War
The Trump administration’s hypocrisy was on clear display when it denounced Iran over an ineffectual Yemeni missile that landed in Saudi Arabia while the U.S. aids the Saudi slaughter of Yemeni civilians,
Political charlatans like Donald Trump often employ an essential trick from stage magic: misdirecting the audience. By taking the public’s eye off the real issues and channeling discussion toward made-up controversies, they can keep working their agenda in the shadows.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been quick to learn that technique from her mentor in the Oval Office.
Critics quickly shot holes in her case. For one thing, the Security Council’s resolution actually says “Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons . . .” “Called upon” is not the same as a ban. Nor would any serious expert confuse Houthi rockets with nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
In addition, the New York Times noted,
Haley’s show was pure misdirection. No serious analyst of the region doubts that Iran has given at least some limited material support to the Houthi rebels who control a sizeable portion of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa.
The question of whether Iran also smuggled a small number of relatively crude missiles to the Houthis should hardly weigh too heavily on anyone’s moral scales when Saudi Arabia and its allies have been pounding Yemen since March 2015 with high-explosive bombs, mostly supplied by the United States and Great Britain – By Jonathan Marshall
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/12/21/trumps-gross-hypocrisy-on-yemen-war/
(B P)
Fox News military analyst blames "primitive" Yemeni rebels for dragging U.S. toward war with Iran
Ralph Peters: "These are Iranian missiles. ... We don't want to fight, but it may come to that."
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the [Houthi] rebel group toward their capital city. Fox News strategic analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters with me now. You have no doubt that this was Iran because the Houthi rebels in Yemen don't have the capability. Is that the case that you would make, sir?
RALPH PETERS: Well, the Houthi rebels in Yemen are relatively primitive. They certainly couldn't build these missiles. And we know they are Iranian components. But they also couldn't service them, they couldn't aim them. This is -- these are Iranian missiles beyond any doubt
Well, we don't want to fight, but it may come to that.
My comment: Well, more of the warmongering propaganda bullshit the US public is fed with.
(* B K P)
How did Yemen's Houthis obtain ballistic missiles?
Even after launching missiles at Saudi Arabia's capital, the origin of the Houthis' arsenal remains disputed. But arms researcher Pieter Wezeman told DW the missiles were likely not in Yemen before the war.
some were delivered from North Korea, some 15 years ago or so. But it's not those missiles that appear to have been used right now. The images and information we have shows that this is a different type of missile.
The Saudi government supported by the US has made very clear claims that Iran supplied the missilesor at least helped the Houthis build missiles in Yemen, probably based on parts which were already there. But the problem is that even though the evidence they present is quite convincing, we still want to have a more neutral assessment - an assessment not made by a country which is at major odds with Iran.
It would be quite unlikely that they would obtain longer-range missiles, because that type of technology is not likely available. Iran, for example, would have it. But I'm not really sure they would be willing to part with it.
That's the kind of missile they would most likely want to keep for themselves, so I don't think that's going to happen. Neither is it in the interests of the Houthis to obtain anything like that.
http://www.dw.com/en/how-did-yemens-houthis-obtain-ballistic-missiles/a-41873594
(A K P)
In Call With Saudi King, Trump Condemns Iran For Houthi Missile Attack
After the latest ballistic missile attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemeni Houthi rebel forces on Tuesday, President Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman agreed in a Wednesday phone call to take concrete action toward holding Iran accountable, which both countries have blamed for the attack.
According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the US President condemned Houthi attempts to target Riyadh with advanced rockets which the American administration believes are being supplied by Iran, and further stated that the recent series of attacks were serious acts of aggression threatening civilian populated areas. The leaders agreed to "hold the Iranian regime accountable for its aggressive actions" which threatens the security and stability of the region, according to a summary of the call provided by the SPA.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-20/call-saudi-king-trump-condemns-iran-houthi-missile-attack
(A K P)
Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini on the situation in Yemen
Yesterday another ballistic missile was launched against the Saudi capital Riyadh, which was publicly claimed by the Yemeni Ansar Allah. This constitutes an unacceptable violation of international law and a further dangerous escalation of the conflict which reduces the prospects of a negotiated solution to the war in Yemen.
The progressive military escalation of this conflict, as reflected in the cycle of successive retaliations during recent weeks, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation.
My comment: This statement is partisanship – it would not have been if the EU would have told the same about all 15.400 Saudi air strikes on Yemen. They did not.
(A K P)
France condemns Houthis' ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2670997&Language=en
(A K P)
Pakistan condemns missile attack on Saudi Arabia
Pakistan has condemned the latest ballistic missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh by the Houthi rebels of Yemen.
“Pakistan stands firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in confronting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” said a statement issued by the foreign office of Pakistan.
It said Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the government and brotherly people of Saudi Arabia.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/163384/pakistan-condemns-missile-attack-saudi-arabia/
My comment: It’s not „terrorism“, it’s an act of war. Who disagrees has to label all the 15.400 Saudi air raids as „terrorism“ as well.
And
(A K P)
Foreign Office on Yemen
Pakistan must approach the issue very carefully and avoid taking sides. However, on Wednesday, the Foreign Office condemned a recent Houthi missile strike on the Saudi capital Riyadh — apparently targeting a royal palace — in strong terms. It said the “increasing frequency and ferocity of the missile strikes, targeted at innocent civilians by Houthi rebels, pose a threat to regional peace and security”, adding that Pakistan stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi strikes targeting Saudi Arabia should be condemned, even if reports say that there has been no major damage. However, it is also very clear that Saudi strikes in Yemen have been brutal and in many cases indiscriminate.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1378078/foreign-office-on-yemen
(A K P)
Kabul condoles with Riyadh over Houthi missile attack
A statement from the Afghanistan Presidential Palace received by Pajhwok Afghan News expressed condolences to Saudi Arabia over the attack.
It said extremism, terrorism and violent activities could not help resolve problems, but instead further created problems and threatened peace of nations and countries.
The statement said the Afghan government expressed condolences over the attack on Saudi Arabia as it believed using terrorism as a pressure tool was never justifiable.
https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2017/12/21/kabul-condoles-riyadh-over-houthi-missile-attack
(A K P)
Putin Condemns Launch of Missile Targeting Riyadh in Call With Saudi King
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a conversation with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, condemned the launch of a missile targeting Riyadh from Yemen and noted the importance of investigating the incident, the Kremlin's press service reported Thursday.
"The King of Saudi Arabia expressed serious concern about the launching of a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh by the Yemeni Ansar Allah militants on December 19. Condemning such actions, Vladimir Putin noted the importance of a comprehensive investigation of the incident and spoke in favor of resolving the Yemeni crisis exclusively by peaceful means, through a national dialogue," the press service said.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201712211060208290-putin-condemns-missile-yemen-saudi-arabia/
(A K P)
The United Nations envoy for Yemen Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed condemned targeting the Saudi capital of Riyadh on 19 December with a ballistic missile, saying that “this is an escalation that hinders peace efforts in Yemen.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58327#.WjsxFN_iaUk
My comment: This again shows the bias of the UN envoy. Going back to mid-February 2017, I did not find a single English tweet by him blaming the Saudi coalition for any of it’s air raids on Yemen.
(* A K)
Houthi Rebel Missile Fired at Ridyadh Intercepted by U.S.-supplied Patriot Missile
A missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen at the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, was shot down by Saudi Arabia’s military on December 19. Saudi officials and Colonel Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the rebels, said the missile was intercepted by a U.S.-supplied Patriot missile while in flight south of the city. There were no reports of any damage.
My comment: As told. „Patriot“ had failed several times before.
But
(* A K)
Film: This is the real video. You can hear the explosion of the missile on the ground. Means intercepting it failed.!
https://twitter.com/WeFightForYemen/status/943156415400759297
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* B K P)
Let Yemenis Live
On May 2, 2017, before becoming Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as Minister of Defense, spoke about the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen, a war he orchestrated since March of 2015. “A long war is in our interest,” he said, explaining that the Houthi rebels would eventually run out of cash, lack external supplies and break apart. Conversely, the Saudis could count on a steady flow of cash and weapons. “Time is on our side,” he concluded.
Powerful people in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Senegal and Jordan have colluded with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince to prolong the war against Yemen. The Saudis have employed Sudanese fighters from the terrifying Janjaweed militias to fight in small cities along Yemen’s coast line. The seeming objective is to gain ground control leading to the vital Port of Hodeidah
Among the most powerful warlords participating in the war are the U.S. and the UK.
Despite the recent publicity for stern words from Donald Trump and Theresa May, urging Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade of Yemen, both countries continue to pocket billions of dollars selling weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Boeing, Raytheon, and other military contractors already benefiting from this deal will likely agree with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: a long war is in their best interests – by Kathy Kelly
https://dissidentvoice.org/2017/12/let-yemenis-live/
(B K P)
Der Tod im Jemen hat Namen und Gesichter
Donald Trump, US-Präsident, gab dem Verbündeten Saudi-Arabien im Frühjahr einen Blankoscheck und hoffte nebenbei auf den Verkauf "einer Menge schöner militärischer Ausrüstung". Bei den Luftangriffen Saudi-Arabiens sind auch Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron und die britische Premierministerin Theresa May an Bord: Ihre Streitkräfte geben ebenso wie die amerikanischen logistische Hilfe.
Aufregung? Kritik? Empörung? Keine Spur.
Von Frieden auch nicht.
https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/der-tod-im-jemen-hat-namen-und-gesichter-22064059
(* B H K P)
Film: 1000 Tage Krieg im Jemen – Der Iran am Pranger der Saudis und der USA
Am 20.12.2017 erlebte der Jemen ein trauriges Jubiläum: 1000 Tage Krieg. Unsere "Echokammer" beleuchtet in ihrer Pilotsendung aktuelle Entwicklungen und skizziert die Hintergründe zum Konflikt.
Den Auftakt bilden dabei die Vorwürfe der USA gegenüber dem Iran.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9VknAZUtKc
(* B H K P)
Audio: Canadian government complicit in humanitarian crisis in Yemen
Shireen Al-Adeimi says that by continuing to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, the Canadian government is complicit in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Yemen. Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign has targeted homes, schools, markets and even hospitals. The country is now experiencing widespread famine due to a Saudi-led blockade of the ports. Shireen Al-Adeimi is an instructor and a doctoral candidate at Harvard University.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/redeye/canadian-government-complicit-in-humanit and https://twitter.com/redeyeradio/status/943530628380635136
(* B K P)
Who has the upper-hand in Yemen’s conflict?
More than three years into civil war, the Yemeni people are suffering from the fastest-spreading cholera epidemic in history, while millions are on the brink of famine -- a crisis worsened by a Saudi blockade. William Brangham reports and Judy Woodruff talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche and former Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey about the complex situation.
Stephen Seche: To a large extent, the reason why the war continued in this fashion is because it sits in a corner of the globe which has not produced the kind of migration into Europe which the war in Syria has.
So, therefore, the alarm that is raised about the war in Yemen is far diminished from that that we see given the conflict in Syria. So, that being away from the public eye and not creating that sense of threat that is really prolonged and very protracted has worked to a disadvantage of all the people of Yemen who have suffered on the back pages of our newspapers, and not as much coverage on our television.
Judy Woodruff: Ambassador Jeffrey, is this a war between the factions inside Yemen, or is it a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
James Jeffrey:It’s both.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/who-has-the-upper-hand-in-yemens-conflict
(* B H P)
Film: Yemen: People will die 'in big numbers' - UN official
Only a political solution to Yemen's war can prevent a steep rise in the number of deaths among civilians there, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for the country tells the BBC.
(* B K P)
Yemen, the modern-day Biafra
The case for making such a bloody bargain with the Saudis over Yemen is normally the same as the justification given for complicity in their other atrocities: that we would very much like their business, and that we would very much not like their position to be supplanted by Iran or by someone else worse than the current rulers of either Tehran or Riyadh.
Others make a more resigned case that, having backed Ibn Saud in the 1920s and continued to back his descendants since, we have come so far that we are stuck with the Saudis for good or ill.
But more importantly, can securing a small glimmer of belated mercy really be worth supporting the Saudis through the previous 1,000 days of bombarding and starving civilians? If the behaviour we have seen from Saudi Arabia in recent years is supposedly the product of moderating efforts by her Western allies, then those efforts have not been very successful.
A student of realpolitik, comparing Biafra and Yemen, has one final argument to draw on. Yes, it was dreadful. Yes, we did much harm in return for little good. Yes, we are doing the same thing all over again in Yemen. But don’t exaggerate how much it really matters: 40 years later, who now remembers Biafra or the suffering of the Biafrans? That this is the strongest argument for aiding war crimes is the true illustration of the weakness of their case – by Mark Wallace
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2017/12/yemen-the-modern-day-biafra.html
(* A P)
22 family members of late Yemeni president Saleh arrive in Oman
Nearly two dozen members of late former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh's family arrived in the Sultanate on Thursday evening, state news agency ONA reported on Friday.
The 22 will be joining their families in the Sultanate, who have been living in Oman since the beginning of the Yemeni crisis, according to the ONA report.
(unrated B K P)
Film: 1,000 days of war: will the conflict in Yemen ever end?
Yemen's humanitarian crisis On 20 December, a Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen marked 1,000 days at war. The ongoing conflict between the Saudi coalition and rebel groups allegedly supported by Iran has killed thousands and cultivated widespread hunger and disease. Although Saudi Arabia has eased a blockade of Yemen so some aid can flow into the country, millions of Yemenis are still unable to access healthcare and clean water. What can be down now so relief agencies can continue to help a nation brought to its knees by conflict?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqnGnpZeyb0
(* B P)
Yemen’s free fall
The assassination of Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen capped a year steeped in violence, malnutrition, disease and political and military stalemate
The fast and relentless downward spiral continued unabated to the final days of this brutal year for the Arab world’s poorest country which has been driven to the brink of famine by a protracted war that is caught between a diplomatic impasse and military standstill.
Hamoud Nasser Al-Qudami, a Yemeni diplomat and academic close to the circles of the internationally recognised government of President Hadi, maintains that Saleh’s death has flung open the doors to chaos. Gulf forces felt that he was the only figure capable of restoring stability to the country. “The army, as a whole, is loyal to Saleh, as are most of the civil servants. The former president also had an extensive network of tribal allegiances,” he said.
As 2017 draws to a close, peace is still far out of reach for Yemen, which is caught in the snare of regional warfare, the reshaping of political alliances and the calibrations of power balances as it sinks further into clutches of humanitarian disaster. As is always the case with war and conflict, civilians — especially the weakest, economically and socially — inevitably pay the highest price – by Haitham Nouri
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/23321.aspx
My comment: Staying on the surface, giving too much space to Saudi propaganda argumentation.
(A H P)
Islamic Relief joins global call for action as Yemen conflict reaches 1,000 days
(B H K)
A THOUSAND DAYS OF HELL IN YEMEN PRODUCE A MILLION CASES OF CHOLERA
(B H K)
Jemen: Durch den Krieg in die Knie gezwungen
Tausend Tage dauert nun schon der Konflikt im Jemen an. In der Folge ist das Land in eine der schlimmsten humanitären Krisen der letzten Jahrzehnte gestürzt.
http://www.vaticannews.va/de/welt/news/2017-12/jemen--land-wegen-krieg-in-die-knie-gezwungen.html
(* B K P)
Der Jemen-Konflikt - das steckt dahinter
Wer kämpft gegen wen im Bürgerkrieg in Jemen, warum eskaliert die Gewalt - und was plant Donald Trump? Die Islamwissenschaftlerin und Jemen-Expertin Elisabeth Kendall erklärt die Lage.
Kendall: Das Beweisstück einer iranischen Kurzstreckenrakete, die von den Huthi nach Saudi-Arabien abgefeuert wurde, ist natürlich überzeugend. Eine gewisse Beteiligung Irans im Jemen-Krieg steht auch außer Zweifel, selbst wenn das nicht zwingend heißt, dass diese Beteiligung durch die Regierung in Teheran das veranlasst wurde. Der entscheidende militärische Faktor, der den Huthi-Rebellen zur Macht verhalf, war auch nicht Iran, sondern der frühere Präsident Ali Abdullah Saleh. Er hat sich mit den Huthi verbündet und brachte ihnen schätzungsweise zwei Drittel der jemenitischen Waffenvorräte sowie seine gut ausgebildete Republikanische Garde. Es sollte angemerkt werden, dass die jetzige Konfliktlage dort die gleiche wäre, mit oder ohne Zutun von Iran (paywall)
Mein Kommentar: Haley’s „Beweisstücke“ sind keineswegs besonders „überzeugend“, wie zahlreiche Artikel gezeigt haben, s. YPR 369, 368, jeweils cp1b.
(* B H K)
Der Krieg im Jemen ist eine vergessene Katastrophe
Der Krieg im Jemen dauert inzwischen mehr als 1000 Tage. Viele Betroffene leiden an Cholera und Diphtherie, Millionen Menschen hungern.
[Ausführlicher Überblick]
https://www.abendblatt.de/politik/article212915537/Der-Krieg-im-Jemen-ist-eine-vergessene-Katastrophe.html = https://www.wr.de/politik/der-krieg-im-jemen-ist-eine-vergessene-katastrophe-id212915537.html
(* B K P)
Salehs Tod und der Konflikt im Jemen
Analyse und Ausblick
Der Tod des ehemaligen jemenitischen Präsidenten ist bei Weitem die wichtigste jüngste Entwicklung im gegenwärtigen Krieg im Jemen. Sie deutet auf einen Riss in der nördlichen Allianz hin, welcher den Konflikt nun entweder weiter eskalieren oder zu strategischen Vorteilen der saudisch-emiratischen Koalition führen könnte. Welche Dynamik letztendlich überwiegt, hängt entscheidend davon ab, wie Salehs Anhänger sowie die nordjemenitischen Stämme auf seine Ermordung reagieren werden. Derzeit scheint es, dass diese dem Bündnis mit den Huthis (noch) größtenteils treu bleiben. Die folgende Analyse untersucht den Hintergrund des Huthi-Saleh-Bündnisses, die derzeitige Lage des Krieges im Jemen und leitet daraus einen möglichen Ausblick auf zukünftige Entwicklungen ab.
http://www.kas.de/wf/de/33.51170/
(B H K)
Video: 1000 Tage Bürgerkrieg im Jemen
https://www.profil.at/ausland/video-buergerkrieg-jemen-8585251
Mein Kommentar: Die Überschrift ist falsch, Bürgerkrieg ist schon länger, 1000 Tage herrscht jetzt Krieg (d. h. Eingreifen der Saudis).
(B H K)
Tausend Tage Krieg
8,4 Millionen Menschen im Jemen vom Hungertod bedroht
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/324007.tausend-tage-krieg.html
(B H K)
Audio: Lage nur verschlimmert: 1000 Tage nach dem Kriegseintritt der Saudis im Jemen
Der Bürgerkrieg im Jemen hat in den vergangenen Jahren tausende Menschen getötet, zehntausende verletzt. Staatliche Strukturen existieren kaum, die Bevölkerung hungert. Aber von der internationalen Öffentlichkeit wird das Land wenig beachtet. Der saudische Kronprinz, der sein Land in den Krieg mit dem Jemen getrieben hat, hat sich verkalkuliert
http://www.ardmediathek.de/radio/Kommentar/Lage-nur-verschlimmert-1000-Tage-nach-d/Deutschlandfunk/Audio-Podcast?bcastId=21627604&documentId=48557316 und https://www.inforadio.de/programm/schema/sendungen/zwischenruf/201712/191461.html
(unrated B H K P)
Podcast: Europe 1 Social Club, le débat - Guerre au Yémen : pourquoi on n’en parle pas ? - 20/12/17
Professor and activist Sadek Alsaar was invited last night on French Radio Europe 1 to talk about the situation in #Yemen with Frédéric Taddei
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A Thousand Days and Nights of War in Yemen
Framing the Yemen war as part of a larger struggle between the Saudi-led Sunni coalition and Shi’a Iran has helped turn the war into a quagmire. The Saudi’s have legitimate concerns over the stability of their southern border, yet the war has only heightened those concerns. As for the U.S., countering Iranian influence in the Gulf region is one of the reasons the U.S. has supported the air campaign to the extent it has. American officials have also stated that support for the coalition was aimed at Yemen’s terrorist groups.
However, the war is serving to feed extremist groups, rather than destroy them. Groups working with the Yemeni government supported by Riyadh tend to be Salafi jihadis, working closely with al-Qaeda—which in turn, has seen its numbers expand.
There is a belated, but growing awareness in the West, that by aiding the Saudi coalition, the U.S. and the U.K. are in part culpable for the suffering of Yemen’s civilians.
http://www.soufangroup.com/tsc-intelbrief-a-thousand-days-and-nights-of-war-in-yemen/
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THE FORGOTTEN WAR: 1000 days of war in Yemen – image of starving baby gives heartbreaking reminder of conflict that has left tens of thousands dead
The images of severely malnutrition one-year-old Fatima Abdullah Hassan and two-month-old baby Nadia Ahmad Sabri serve as powerful reminders of the impact of civil war on innocent civilians (photos)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5186964/yemen-1000-days-of-war-image-starving-baby-thousands-dead/
My comment: This did not fall from the sky; the West is highly responsible. This is not mentioned here.
(unrated B K P)
Audio: Death erases a wannabe President-for-life in Yemen
For almost 40 years Ali Abdullah Saleh more or less ran Yemen. “Dancing on the heads of snakes,” he called it. Then he got tossed out during the Arab Spring of 2011. But he never stopped angling for power…first joining the Houthi revolution and then trying to sell it out to the Saudis. Then the Houthis killed him and now everything in perpetually chaotic Yemen is more chaotic than ever. Maggie Michael of the Associated Press has been covering the story.
https://beta.prx.org/stories/223583
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The Real Turning Point in Yemen Has Yet to Come
Ali Abdullah Saleh’s death could be the end of the Houthis, or a blessing in disguise. The future course of the Yemeni conflict hinges on whether and how Houthis will prevail without him.
It is not clear, however, whether his death was a turning point. This still largely depends on Saleh’s former allies—the Houthis—and how they perceive their strategic and tactical position.
The worst case scenario will be to continue pursuing the military option. This will likely result in increased violence and an intensified campaign against the Houthis instead of a politically navigated path forward.
Reports suggest the Houthis are attempting to re-establish an alliance with Saleh’s party, the General People’s Congress (GPC). This could fracture GPC forces and, if successful, limit Houthi losses in terms of manpower and allies.
Even if the Houthis, the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the Saudi-led coalition all agreed to come to the negotiating table, this would be just a first step and no guarantee of any success, to which the multiple past failed negotiations and ceasefires can attest – by Miriam Eps
https://www.thecairoreview.com/tahrir-forum/the-real-turning-point-in-yemen-has-yet-to-come/
(* B K P)
If you don't have time to read full report, check out the map. It paints the same picture as the report: that although Yemen has been divided into multiple zones of control trade including arms crosses the country with relative ease.
https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/943465690396229633 and https://yemen-map.chathamhouse.org/
(* B K P)
Rockets over Riyadh: The Saudis’ active war cannot entangle the U.S.
The Houthis in Yemen firing rockets into Saudi Arabia is understandable, given the tons of bombs that Saudi Arabia, aided by the United States, has rained down on Yemen for years. But the affair cannot end well for the United States.
There are a number of troublesome aspects to this expansion of the war that Saudi Arabia and other majority-Sunni Muslim Persian Gulf States, with logistical support from the United States, have been waging against the Shiite Houthi Muslims.
It is also a little surprising that the Saudis should now be making such a fuss over Houthi rockets, given the Saudis’ bombing of Yemen.
A second serious issue brought to the fore by the Houthi rocket attacks is the fact of the basic fragility of Saudi Arabia as a structure.
The United States does not need to be pulled into another war in the region, particularly one that might come to include Iran.
(* B K P)
Yemen’s dangerous war
Saudi meddling in regional politics and its intervention in Yemen is destabilising the Middle East, and pushing the country into sickness and starvation.
The laissez-faire attitude of the major powers shows a deep contempt for Yemenis and a refusal to understand the underlying motives of a conflict with consequences far beyond the country’s borders. The world’s lack of interest in this conflict suggests that it is regarded as just another low-intensity backwater conflict, yet Yemen is at the heart of critical issues that it would be foolish to ignore.
Yemen was never a priority, even though US decision-makers stated publicly that the local branch of Al-Qaida (Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP) was the world’s most dangerous.
Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in March 2015 may have been motivated by a wish to legitimise its new leaders, especially Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (‘MBS’), born in 1985
The war has also become a trap for Saudi leaders; Saudi authorities waver between propaganda that claims military operations are going well and a catastrophist approach that claims victimhood.
The collapse of Yemen’s state institutions because of the war has benefited armed Islamist groups.
A sectarian interpretation of the conflict that projects it as being between Sunnis and Houthis (considered just as Zaydis, who belong to a branch of Shia Islam which differs from the Twelver variety that is the majority religion in Iran) is used to strengthen the jihadists’ position.
Without a long-term vision, Yemen will collapse, with serious consequences for the world – by Laurent Bonnefoy
https://mondediplo.com/2017/12/02yemen
(* B K P)
Saleh’s departure and peace in Yemen
Saleh’s assassination has shook the very framework through which Yemini politics was seen and understood
Now that the master spinner is gone, it is very difficult to predict the future course of the conflict. Saleh’s assassination has shook the very framework through which Yemini politics was seen and understood.
Despite the sectarian rhetoric which is generally being used to define the current conflict in Yemen, a closer look will reveal that sectarianism and geo-politics are only one of the few factors at play. In reality the war in Yemen is a struggle between the old order and an emerging one. At the heart of the conflict are the Houthis firmly anchored in the upper north of the country, and the Southern Movement rooted in southern Yemen.
It is now up to the peacemakers to seize this opportunity, reconfigure their assumptions, and make serious efforts for bringing peace to this devastated country.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/163505/salehs-departure-peace-yemen/
(* B P)
After 1,000 days of civil war in Yemen, violence has become 'normalized'
Yemeni culture has become increasingly divided by civil war. But it retains qualities that hold the promise of reconciliation, if only the war were to stop.
Craig, an independent journalist who lived in Yemen before the war, has reported from many parts of the country throughout the fighting. She says she's especially troubled by the way Yemenis have adapted psychologically to unrelenting war.
"It's almost become normalized, this kind of level of violence," she says. "And everybody is exhausted with it whether they're in the north or in the south."
"After 1,000 days of war, I feel scared of how I got used to it," says Suha al-Mujaheed, a humanitarian worker in Taiz, one of the front lines of the civil war. "I feel normal about sounds of explosions and the view of destruction. I sometimes forget that the rest of the world is living a different life."
Craig says the divisions between north and south are real, but differences can melt away under the right circumstances.
Craig says that even in times of conflict, even in times of war, Yemeni people will come together, sit down and mediate or discuss politics.
"And that's really why I think it's so important to try and remove the international and regional element of the Saudi-led coalition out of the conflict," she says, "because I think there's more prospect and more hope for Yemenis themselves to find a solution internally in Yemen when that international aspect is no longer involved."
Craig, like many observers in and outside Yemen, believes the war is only prolonged by international involvement. She says the humanitarian crisis has been instigated by the Saudi-led coalition with the support of Western governments. "And I think," she adds, "that's the most important thing for people to understand — that we are all complicit in this." – by Peter Snyder
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1000 Days of Western-Backed Saudi War Crimes in Yemen - What Next?
Few points here: The US and the UK have been particularly unapologetic about the steady stream of weapons they supply to Riyadh.
This culpability in the deadly conflict has raised the ire of numerous human rights campaigners and activists.
Moreover, the Saudi-led coalition has no right to wage an illegal military campaign against Yemen just because they want to reinstate ousted president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, much less commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Quite the opposite, the Yemeni people have every right to strike back under the banner of the UN Charter
Under its own Charter, the UN is expected to do everything possible to keep the pressure on Western states that blatantly disregard the Yemenis' civilian lives. The US, the UK and other Western states that supply arms for use by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen must be forced to stop doing so and the United Nations Security Council should impose an arms embargo to bring an end to such horrific war crimes.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960929001953
(* B H K)
1,000 days of war in Yemen, 'land of blood and bombs'
"Death and destruction are the first things to greet you when entering Saada province,"
"You could be at home sleeping, walking to the shops, playing football with your children, but at any moment a Saudi air strike can take you out," he said.
"Even dogs don't dare walk the streets."
Once a city of around 50,000 people, Saada has turned into a ghost town, with more than 2,996 coalition strikes pulverising the Houthi stronghold.
According to residents, the cost of food and fuel has skyrocketed, with soaring inflation leaving the poorest most vulnerable.
"The price of flour has more than doubled since November," Ayham Alghopari, a student at Sanaa University told Al Jazeera.
"You can no longer buy car petrol on the open market, the price has more than doubled. It used to cost YR4,000 ($16) to fill up a small car; it now costs YR9,000 ($35)."
"In 1,000 days, Yemen has become a land of blood and bombs. This place is hell on earth."
"People are fleeing from one place to the next, trying to find safety, but life has become so difficult that we've come to accept or fate.
"We hoped that this war would end soon, but that hope is gone. We're all alone, facing one disaster after the next." – by Faisal Edroos & Ahmad Algohbary
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/1000-days-war-yemen-land-blood-bombs-171220084152340.html
(* B P)
Power, rivalry and missiles: The dangers of Saudi Arabia and Iran's 'unpredictable' conflict in Yemen
"We don't know where it's going and we can't really talk about it like an established dynamic with established norms. This is a totally new situation for the region and I really struggle to predict what's going to happen next," Marcus Chenevix, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) analyst at TS Lombard, said Wednesday.
"The really big development is not the missile but the death last month of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former Yemeni dictator. In the past the Yemen civil war was about Yemen, it was about the north of Yemen not wanting to be federalized and cut off from oil," he said.
"But now that Saleh is dead and it's just the Houthis versus the Saudi-supported cause, the Yemen war has become a lot more of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran — and that makes it much more troublesome, and it makes it a lot more about Saudi. I would expect to see a lot more missiles coming out of Yemen," he said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/20/saudi-arabia-and-irans-conflict-in-yemen.html
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A H P)
Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (22 December 2017)
On Yemen, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, since 6 November, there have been 16 humanitarian vessel movements, including two vessels that transported Somali migrants out of Yemen, and 36 Humanitarian Air Service flights. The UN also delivered 240,000 metric tons of humanitarian assistance into Yemen, including 18,000 metric tons delivered on airplanes. Separately, commercial food is entering Yemen. The Coalition has cleared fuel tankers to come in, but commercial fuel tankers have yet to make it into Hudaydah port.
(* A H P)
REP LIEU URGES SAUDI AND EMIRATI OFFICIALS TO LIFT BLOCKADE IN YEMEN
Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D – Los Angeles County) led a letter co-signed by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) to Saudi Ambassador to the United States Khaled bin Salman and Emirati Ambassador to the United States Youset al Otaiba urging their governments to end their coalition’s Yemen blockade and reopen Yemen’s seaports, airports and land crossings.
In the letter, the Members write:
and
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[US:] Lawmakers to Saudi, UAE ambassadors: Lift Yemen blockade immediately
A bipartisan quartet of lawmakers is imploring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to end a blockade on war-ravaged Yemen.
“Our countries have long been allies and partners, and it is with that history in mind that we write to raise a critical and urgent concern: put simply, the humanitarian status quo in Yemen cannot continue,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter Wednesday night to the Saudi and UAE ambassadors to the U.S and obtained by The Hill.
(A H P)
U.S. welcomes decision by Saudi-led coalition to keep Yemen port open
The United States on Thursday said it welcomed an announcement by a Saudi-led coalition to keep the Hodeidah port in Yemen open for a month and allow humanitarian aid to flow through, and condemned a Houthi bombing of a palace in Saudi Arabia.
At a briefing later on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking said the United States would have a conversation with Saudi Arabia about the 30 days the port will be open and about possibly changing the timeline, but said the United States first wants to see ships moving in and goods and services reaching the people of Yemen.
My comment: The Saudis make an (up to now just void) announcement and their western bedfellows applaude. Thus, the Saudis even can draw propaganda benefit from their blockade giving opportunitiy for such an announcement and for Western “welcomes”.
(A H P)
USAID: STATEMENT BY SPOKESPERSON CLAYTON M. MCCLESKEY ON YEMEN
The United States welcomes the announcement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that all humanitarian and commercial goods, including fuel, will be allowed to pass freely through the port of Hudaydah. We also welcome the news that four U.S.-funded cranes will be installed at this port, which are vital to moving life-saving goods into Yemen efficiently. We encourage the Saudi-led Coalition to keep this policy in place - access to vital humanitarian and commercial supplies must be separated from negotiations on security and political conditions.
(A H P)
Saudi Arabia agrees to re-open key Yemen port of Hodeidah
Saudi Arabia appears to have succumbed to growing international pressure and agreed to re-open the key Yemeni port of Hodeidah to food aid and commercial fuel for a minimum of 30 days.
The foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: “I am very pleased at today’s announcement by the Saudi-led Coalition that Hodeidah port in Yemen is open again. I have been urging this step for some time.“
My comment: As already reported. But an announcement does not feed anybody. –And Johnson represents a government which itself is highly responsible for the whole mess. Well, “Johnson helping to starve babies” would not make a good headline.
Comment: The announcement subtly reinforces a status quo that has brought 8.4 million to the brink of famine and undermines a rigorous UN inspections regime. It also continues to position the Saudi government as the ultimate arbiter of whether civilians live or die
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1592483214138036
(A H P)
Saudi-led coalition to allow cranes into Yemen's Hodeidah port
The Saudi-led coalition will allow four cranes into the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah to boost humanitarian aid deliveries into wartorn Yemen, the Saudi ambassador to Sanaa said on Wednesday.
My comment: Finally. The cranes are absolutely necessary for unloading the cargo which is needed to supply Northern Yemen. For a long time they could not arrive and had to be stored elsewhere. But always keep in mind that the one who finally had blocked the delivery of these cranes was US ambassador Tueller. And they still are not in place.
(* A H P)
Oxfam kritisiert inhumane Maßnahmen saudischer Kriegsallianz im Jemen
Die Hilfsorganisation Oxfam hat das Vorgehen der saudischen Kriegskoalition verurteilt, den Bürgern im Jemen Nahrung, Treibstoff und Arzneimittel zukommen zu lassen, und dieses Verhalten als inhuman und unmoralisch bezeichnet.
Mark Golding, ein leitender Mitarbeiter der Hilfsorganisation äußerte sich besorgt über die anhaltende Aggression gegen das Land und forderte die Einstellung der Waffenverkäufe an Saudi-Arabien insbesondere seitens der USA und Großbritanniens. Er sagte, Großbritannien das für die Jemen-Akte im Sicherheitsrat verantwortlich ist, könnte den Verlauf des Krieges in diesem Land ändern.
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Yemen's Children Risk Death as Fuel Shortage Creates Water Crisis
The U.N. children’s fund (UNICEF) warns children in Yemen risk death as access to clean water runs out, due to import restrictions of fuel into the country.
Saudi Arabia’s blockade of humanitarian and commercial goods into Yemen is causing a crisis on many levels. UNICEF says the blockade is creating a severe fuel shortage, causing steep price hikes and deepening the country’s already serious water and health crisis.
(* A H P)
Coalition announces extension of opening of Hudaydah port to permit entry of commercial ships despite Iranian-Houthi provocations
The Coalition announces an extension of the opening of Hudaydah port to humanitarian and relief supplies, allowing entry of commercial ships including fuel and food for a period of 30 days.
As a result of the intensification of security inspection procedures, the Coalition command supporting the legitimate government in Yemen announces the extension of the opening of Hudaydah port to humanitarian and relief supplies.
The Coalition will allow the entry of commercial ships, including fuel and food vessels, for a period of 30 days to implement the proposals of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen concerning the port of Hudaydah.
“Despite continuous Iranian-Houthi provocations as witnessed on Tuesday by the international community, the Coalition stays committed to assist the Yemeni people who are in dire need. The Iranian-Houthis are putting all their effort into prolonging the conflict in Yemen and are only bringing ruin on the people of Yemen,” a government spokesperson said.
The Coalition demanded a review and enhancement of the U. N.’s inspection and verification mechanism in order to implement best practice to protect the people of Yemen, and facilitate the entry of aid and humanitarian shipments, while preventing Iranian Houthis from smuggling missiles to target
My comment: Up to now, little more than propaganda – containing blackmailing the UN.
(* A H P)
Ministry of Transport denies entry of any ships into Hodeidah Port
The Ministry of Transport denied on Wednesday what was reported by some satellite channels and websites of the aggression coalition states about allegations that ships loaded with foodstuffs had entered into the Port of Hodeidah.
" The Port of Hodeidah is still closed by the countries of the aggression alliance, pointing out that the coalition countries are tricking the public opinion through their various media outlets," the ministry said in a statement, which Saba received a copy it .
It stated that no relief, humanitarian or even commercial vessel had entered the port of Hodeidah as alleged the of aggression alliance.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482242.htm
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Film: Jemen vor dem Kollaps
Der Krieg im Jemen dauert schon seit mehr als 1.000 Tagen an. Das Land ist ausgezerrt von Krieg, Dürre und Hunger. Die Helfer schlagen Alarm.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-plus/videos/heuteplus-jemen-vor-dem-kollaps-100.html
(* B H)
A reminder. Film: "A war against children"That's how UNICEF is describing th #Saudi war on #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/StopTheWarOnYemen/videos/vb.319595141544022/784523685051163/?type=2&theater
(* B H)
Yemen health workers deplore medicine shortage amid cholera outbreak
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/12/22/546487/Cholera-Yemen-ICRC-Adnan-Hezam
(* A H)
As Yemen humanitarian crisis escalates, small number of governments step up to save lives
Additional significant contributions to WFP operations in Yemen this year have come from Japan, UN Funds and Agencies, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Saudi Arabia, Norway and Canada. CERF receives broad support from UN Member States, with Germany, Sweden, the UK, Netherlands and Norway topping its list of donors in 2017.
Despite the generosity of these donors, WFP operations in Yemen require an additional US$277 million to provide food assistance through June next year. Since August, WFP has provided food assistance to seven million people, but around half of these people received a mere 60% of their rations due to funding constraints.
(A H)
Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, December 2017
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-december-2017
(* B H)
Anruf im Jemen gegen das Vergessen
Wir hatten Sie gefragt, aus welcher Region Sie sich eine Weltzeit wünschen: Viele haben nach dem Jemen gefragt. Laut Vereinten Nationen spielt sich dort die größte humanitäre Krise der Welt ab, aber kaum jemand berichtet. Wir haben angerufen.
Laut Oxfam sind sieben Millionen Menschen im Jemen akut vom Hungertod bedroht. „Eine Familie mit fünf Kindern in unserer Nachbarschaft ist verhungert“, bestätigt Aenne Rappel diese dramatischen Zahlen. Die 82-Jährige Bayerin hilft seit rund 30 Jahren Menschen im Land. Über ihren Verein „Jemenhilfe Deutschland“ sammelt sie Spenden, finanziert ein kleines Krankenhaus und eine Kinderhilfe in Taizz.
(* A H)
Monareliefye.org delivered today blankets and winter clothing to most needy families and IDPs in the capital Sana'a based on Mona Relief's online fundraising campaign.
Please if care about humanitarian work in Yemen , support and donate at our website. (photos)
https://www.monareliefye.org/single-post/2017/12/22/Monareliefyeorg-delivering-blankets-and-winter-clothing-to-most-needy-families-in-Sanaa and https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/943890198823428097
(* B H)
1,000 Days Too Late For The Children Of Yemen
These last 1,000 days have taken a deadly toll on children — boys like Ahmed (name changed), who shares a name and a birthplace with my son, a 17-year-old with a horrific past. Ahmed used to wake up and go to school just like any other child, followed by prayer and play time with friends. But that all changed one day.
"I was pushed to fight by friends," he said. "I was given a weapon and I went to fight. Most of my friends were killed, some of them in battles we fought together."
Ahmed's best friend was killed and he became so sick he had to seek treatment.
All of this makes me ask the question: are we too late?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/unicef-canada/1-000-days-too-late-for-the-children-of-yemen_a_23313208/
(A H)
Infographic: Yemen Humanitarian Imports Overview, November 2017
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-imports-overview-november-2017
(A H)
Film: WHO delivers 70 tons of life-saving medicines and supplies to Sana’a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpkZdEtWoro
(* B H)
Film: Today marks 1,000 days since the escalation of the brutal conflict in #Yemen. Children like Noran are paying the price.
https://twitter.com/savechildrenuk/status/943375420270960640
(A H)
"250" food packages were distributed on Saturday to the most vulnerable families in #Hajjah, a #Yemen-i northern governorate. Best thanks to LandsAid charity, which supported "200" food packages,& our brothers in Australia who supported "50" others (photos)
https://twitter.com/HndOrgYE/status/943182024432652289
(B H)
Over 1,000 days of suffering for Yemen’s children
Today marks 1,000 days since the international escalation of the conflict in Yemen. But even after over 1,000 days of suffering, destruction and death, still over half of Britons claim to know little or nothing about the conflict in Yemen.
That’s why today Save Children held an online day of action to draw attention to the conflict in Yemen, asking people to join us in telling their friends and contacts about the war, and calling for the UK Government to do more to help children in Yemen.
You can help us spread the word about the world’s largest humanitarian disaster
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/over-1000-days-suffering-yemen-s-children
(* B H)
The struggle of low income patients in Yemen
When he found out that he needed surgery, Qasim knew that he would not be able to afford it with what little money his son was earning. The public hospitals were unable to provide the surgery due to shortages in medical staff, medicines and medical supplies, and private hospitals charged 150,000 YR (US$400) for the operation, an amount beyond Qasim’s capacity.
“The stress I felt thinking how I would afford the medical costs was massive. I was thinking of how I could get the money, and who would be there for my family if I died,” says Qasim.
“Luckily, the doctor I went to referred me to Al-Thawra hospital where he told me I could get the surgery for free. I only had to pay registration fees of 10,000 YR (US$35),” adds Qasim.
Al-Thawra hospital is the main public hospital in Hodeidah that receives nearly 1500 patients a day. The hospital itself has been facing a lot challenges to keep its doors open for the poorest patients in the governorate due to lack of operational cost and shortage of fuel needed to run generators.
Qasim was one of 100 patients who received surgery with minimal fees at Al-Thawra hospital, thanks to support from WHO and World Bank.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/struggle-low-income-patients-yemen
(* B H)
Research Terms of Reference: Support to Inter-agency Joint Cash Study in Yemen, December 2017 - Version 1
According to the Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG), cash and/or vouchers were distributed in 13 out of 22 governorates (80 districts) in 2016, with cash interventions from multiple sectors ongoing in at least 29 districts.
The available studies gathered by CMWG and reviewed by REACH did not provide conclusive evidence on cash assistance being the most appropriate and feasible form of assistance for the current situation in Yemen
(* B H)
The Situation For Children In Yemen Is "Desperate", A British Aid Worker Has Said
Conway, who worked with the World Food Programme and was based in the capital Sanaa during the blockade, said the situation for ordinary people is now "desperate".
"I have seen children that are so severely malnourished, so sick, so food insecure. That just breaks your heart," she told BuzzFeed News.
"Yemeni families’ diet consists nowadays of just bread because that’s all they can afford," she said. "I met a couple of families in really deprived areas of Yemen where the father would say to me: If my children fall asleep after school, I sometimes won’t wake them up because I know I haven’t got enough food to feed them."
Conway visited a number of food distribution points – where international aid organisations are able to distribute food packages, such as 50kg of flour, to those queuing.
"What is the future for these children?" Conway added. "I just don’t know." (photos)
(B H)
Time is running out for Yemen – by David Milliband
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/12/21/time-is-running-out-for-yemen
(B H)
UNFPA Response in Yemen: Monthly Situation Report #11 - November 2017
UNFPA's response in Yemen has so far reached over 2 million people with reproductive health and gender-based violence services and information.
Support in November included treatment of 46 fistula cases in Sana'a and Aden
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unfpa-response-yemen-monthly-situation-report-11-november-2017
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
After 1,000 Days of Conflict, Major Humanitarian Challenges Threaten Lives in Yemen
“The world has almost never seen something as grave as the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” said William Lacy Swing, UN Migration Agency Director General. “With such a complex situation in the country, reaching people in need – both Yemenis and migrants – is a priority for all IOM at all levels. Despite the deteriorated security situation and challenges on the ground, IOM is still operating across all the 22 Governorates of the country but if the situation continues to worsen I am not sure we will be able to protect the lives we are now for much longer,” said DG Swing.
Since the start of December, IOM has provided nearly 20,600 medical consultations to internally displaced peoples and other conflict-affected Yemenis via 22 mobile health teams and two permanent health facilities. These provide life-saving emergency healthcare.
https://www.iom.int/news/after-1000-days-conflict-major-humanitarian-challenges-threaten-lives-yemen
(A H)
Temperatures have dropped to –7 (text in image)
(A H)
UN Migration Agency Launches Mobile Clinic for Stranded Migrants in Djibouti
(A H)
Yemen UNHCR Operational Update, 11 – 18 December 2017
20.7 million people in need
2,014,026 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
89 per cent of IDPs displaced for more than a year
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-11-18-december-2017
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
One thing that stood out to me on this trip is the widespread fear in #Houthi held areas... no1 willing to talk, even when I promised not 2 ask about politics “we don’t want to get in trouble” they would say. Many homes broken into by the Houthis, many people captured.
https://twitter.com/BBCNawalMaghafi/status/944274397132619776
(B H K)
Houthi child soldier (photo)
https://twitter.com/nothing19191/status/943662660423438336
(A P)
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME POLITICAL COUNCIL ISSUED A DECREE ON AMENSTY
A decree of the President of the Supreme Political Council No.132 for 2017 was issued today, which reads as follows:
FIRST: Amnesty for every Yemeni civilian who participated in the sedition of betrayal of December 2017 until the date of this decision.
SECOND: All detainees are released because of these events.
THIRD: Excludes from paragraphs (first and second) the following:
(A P)
Houthis blow up GPC leader house in Taiz
The Houthis militias had stormed al Haima area with 23 military vehicles carrying armed men, after heavy fighting against tribal gunmen loyal to the tribal leader Saeed al Harbi, a local source told Almasdaronline.
The Houthis detonated al Harbi house and broke into a number of houses, killing three citizens, and looted three cars belonging to al Harbi.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96189
(A P)
Two republican decrees issued
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482265.htm
(A P)
President meets parliamentary bloc of Hajjah province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482222.htm
(A P)
President meets Minister of Youth and Sports
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482228.htm
(* A K P)
Yemeni Movement Urges Saudis to Stay Away from Target Areas
The Head of Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee called on Saudi citizens to keep away from areas in the kingdom targeted by Yemeni forces.
Saudi citizens are urged to stay away from areas targeted by Yemeni forces, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi said, Al-Manar news network reported.
He also voiced the committee’s readiness to compensate for damages to Saudi residential areas if it is proven that they have been caused by Yemeni missiles.
My comment: He exactly tells to Saudi people what the Saudis tell to Yemenis.
And also:
(A P)
No More Rattles Nor Political Games
There are still some people who are being deceived by the idea of a southern – southern dialogue. Those politically blind persons think that the salvation of the south is in the impossible consensus – an idea that even God’s prophets didn’t have!! They forget the fact that the southern cause is no longer a matter of disagreement among those who believe in it. Instead, it is a matter of disagreement only among those who don’t believe in it and do their best to kill it in its cradle.
It is true that the south may have different visions about the future but under a unified framework of independence. These differences can never weaken the image of the southern transitional council that was born in the field of the revolution.
http://en.smanews.org/no-more-rattles-nor-political-games
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(* A P)
Yemen’s Hadi government to announce amnesty for Saleh party
President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s internationally recognised government is expected to announce an amnesty for all those who cooperated with the Houthi group and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress Party (GPC), Al Khaleej Online reported.
In a series of tweets yesterday by the Prime Minister of Yemen, Ahmed Bin Dagher, wrote: “Ahmed Ali is from us and we are from him”, in reference to the former president’s son. The announcement comes amid reports that the Saudi-led coalition is considering allowing Ahmed Ali to return to Yemen and join the fight against the Houthis.
(A P)
Transitional Political Council of the South (STC) President Aydarus al Zubaydi announced on December 21 the names of 107 local STC branch leaders in Hadramawt governorate, eastern Yemen, and 107 local STC branch leaders in al Mahrah governorate, eastern Yemen [3]
(A P)
The VP of the Southern Transitional Council, a governing body that seeks to represent #SouthYemen and undermines the legitimacy of the Hadi government, turned down a position in the internationally recognized Hadi government yesterday and pledged his commitment to the STC
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/944315928996712448
(* A P)
The First Meeting of the Southern National Assembly … The Most Important Political Event in the South Since 1994 Occupation
The whole world is looking at Adan that will host the first meeting of the southern national assembly (the southern parliament). This, of course, is the most significant political event in the south since 1994 occupation as this meeting is the coronation of long way of southern struggle and the glorious military victories achieved by the southern resistance. It is a historical milestone in the path of the southern cause.
This meeting is a political necessity to achieve the ultimate goal of the southern revolution since its beginning. It not an act of harassment for any power. Nor it comes as a self-benefiting act for some one or even some group. It is a national right that should be fulfilled as it was earned by the blood of martyrs. Therefore, the following points should be considered:
Remark: Southern separatists‘ political activity.
(A P)
Govt eases persecuted politicians out of Houthi-held Sana'a, says FM
The government has managed to ease many elite political figures out of the Houthi-controlled Sana'a to cities under its own control, said Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi.
Speaking to the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily on Monday, al-Mekhlafi was obviously referring to key figures from the GPC and other groups facing brutal abuses at the hands of the radical Shiit Islamist Houthis for switching sides in favor of the government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-13865
(A P)
Eleven Yemeni Parties Condemn Houthi Hostility against GPC Members
Denouncing Houthi-imposed repression in Sanaa, Yemeni political movements issued a statement against atrocities committed by militias.
The statement condemned the systematic targeting of leaders and members of other parties found in Houthi-run areas.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1118761/eleven-yemeni-parties-condemn-houthi-hostility-against-gpc-members and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-13866
My comment: This is from Saudi media. Well, what do the Saudi political parties tell? There are none: forbidden!
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
UN envoy urges support for efforts to resume political process in Yemen
The United Nations envoy for Yemen on Wednesday called for halting violence and supporting efforts to bring warring parties together for the resumption of the political process.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, “is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Yemen and the continuous violations putting the life of civilians at risk,” said a statement issued by his office.
The envoy reiterated that there is no military solution to the crisis, and the only solution is a Yemeni-owned political process “without any foreign intervention,” the statement said.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58327#.WjsxFN_iaUk
(B P)
For an Indian move to de-escalate Yemen
India should work with other credible partners like France to engage all parties to arrive at a resolution that would put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and end the blockade of Qatar. The Trump administration has not only backed unilateral actions by Saudi Arabia, but also contributed to tension in the region with its decision to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as well, as their capital. Trump’s hostility to the Iran nuclear deal does not help in easing Sunni-Shia rivalries. Allowing for the Saudi-Iran rivalry to go unchecked and looking the other way while it plays out across the region is a recipe for disaster.
https://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/for-an-indian-move-to-de-escalate-yemen/
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(* B P)
WHAT'S BEHIND THE FEUD BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND IRAN? POWER.
No one event spawned the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. But Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution played a big role in creating the hostile environment we see today.
In the short term, this latest missile incursion probably won't result in any kind of direct conflict between the Middle East's two regional powers. (Though it will, undoubtedly, result in the deaths of many more Yemeni civilians from airstrikes, famine and cholera, an eminently curable disease currently ravaging the country.)
But it will only deepen the friction between the two nations, which have been engaged in proxy conflicts for decades. It's a rivalry at the heart of unrest in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and beyond. Here are some important ways to understand the disputes and suspicions:
Iran is the predominant Shiite power in the region, and Saudi Arabia is a Sunni powerhouse. Is this just an age-old religious war?
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/whats-behind-the-feud-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran-power-1790306 and original link What's behind the feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran? Power.
(A P)
Iranian Speaker's Advisor: Aggression against Yemen Approaching End
"Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's three-year military aggression against Yemen has reached the end of the line," Amir Abdollahian wrote on his Twitter account on Friday.
He underlined that Saudi Arabia and the UAE has failed in Yemen despite the US explicit support.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961001000982
(A P)
Saudi failure in Yemen resembles that of US in Vietnam: Iran official
A senior Iranian official says Saudi Arabia’s failure in the war on Yemen resembles that of the US in Vietnam back in 1970s, rejecting Washington’s claims of Tehran’s arms transfer to Yemeni forces as an attempt to justify the defeat of its allies in the offensive.
“Yemen has turned into another Vietnam for Saudi Arabia, just as Americans suffered a defeat in Vietnam despite being fully equipped and were forced to retreated from Southeast Asia with humiliation,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said in an interview with the Al-Alam news network on Wednesday.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/12/21/546327/Iran-Velayati-Saudi-Arabia-US
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(B P)
Saudi luxury Ritz-Carlton anti-corruption ‘prison’ hotel will cost $53 million
The Saudi authorities are therefore obliged to pay more than 492 room reservations, at a rate that is up to $494 per night, though the rates increase up to $7000 for the Royal Suites.
Thus, the costs incurred by the Saudi authorities amount to approximately $800 per day. This means that the cost of 487 rooms reaches up to $389,000 per day, plus 5 suites at a cost of $35,000 dollars, which means the hotel’s full booking reaches up to approximately $425,000 dollars per day.
My comment: Well, that’s a lot – but it’s just 6 hours aerial war on Yemen.
(A E P)
Saudi Arabia should not forfeit 'sovereign' right to enrich uranium: senior prince
Saudi Arabia should not forfeit its “sovereign” right to one day enrich uranium under its planned civilian nuclear program, especially as world powers have allowed Iran to do so, a senior Saudi royal told Reuters.
(A P)
Saudi king receives Palestinian president Abbas
The king reassured the Palestinian leader that Saudi Arabia continues to support the right of Palestinians to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, SPA said.
(* A K P)
Defense Is Top Item in Saudi Budget as Yemen Fighting Rages On
Military spending edges out education as biggest budget item
Houthi rebels shot missile at Riyadh same day as budget
Saudi Arabia intends to spend more on defense than anything else next year as its war against Shiite rebels in neighboring Yemen shows no signs of abating.
In a budget announced hours after Saudi forces said they had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis at Riyadh, the government set aside 210 billion riyals ($56 billion) for military spending in 2018
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp1b
(B K P)
The destruction of Yemen
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is systematically destroying the country and people of Yemen
U.S. support for this disaster has been a bipartisan affair — just like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
But so far President Trump has been even kinder to the Saudis than Obama was.
https://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/the-destruction-of-yemen/1712231
(B P)
Stop bloody, unauthorized war in Yemen
But it can’t be swept under the rug that Saudi Arabia’s atrocities in Yemen have been enabled in large part by the United States, which throughout the war in Yemen has approved lucrative weapons deals with Saudi Arabia and provided direct assistance in the form of refueling Saudi war planes while in the air and helping to identify targets.
Congress cannot continue to abandon its constitutional obligations and allow American resources to be squandered in unauthorized conflicts, especially those involving blatant human rights violations.
https://www.pe.com/2017/12/21/stop-bloody-unauthorized-war-in-yemen/ = https://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/21/stop-bloody-unauthorized-war-in-yemen/
(A P)
Bringing the blockade of Yemen to Washington
The situation is so dire in Yemen, we had to get creative to breakthrough.
This week, my team and I used corrugated plastic sheeting, dowels, zip-ties, and duct tape to construct a representation of the Saudi blockade of Yemen that is causing the worst humanitarian emergency of our generation. As I stood outside the US Capitol and Senate office buildings behind a giant constructed blockade, we held up signs and stuck our arms through holes in the blockade trying to reach through for bags of rice, jerry cans of fuel, and medicine. Unlike the people of Yemen, I could walk around it to grab a sip of clean water and a snack on a break.
https://politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2017/12/bringing-the-blockade-of-yemen-to-washington/
(A H P)
No tax dollars for the war in Yemen
In the meantime, I’m a war tax resister.
Many war tax resisters and supporters have highlighted Yemen in the past few years. For example, Kevin Martonick cited the US complicity in the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Taiz in his 2016 letter to the IRS. He also stated:
This year I am sending some of my resisted tax money to aid people in Yemen and in Puerto Rico.
https://nwtrcc.org/2017/12/21/no-tax-dollars-for-the-war-in-yemen/
(A P)
At a briefing later on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tim Lenderking said there was no military solution to the conflict and that President Donald Trump’s administration believes the best course is “aggressive diplomacy.”
My comment: “aggressive diplomacy.” LOL.
(* A P)
Trump threatens to slash aid to countries backing UN Jerusalem vote
'Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot,' says US president ahead of Thursday's General Assembly session
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday cautioned he could slash funding to countries that support a UN General Assembly resolution on Thursday that seeks to annul the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Turkey and Yemen requested the urgent General Assembly meeting on behalf of the Arab group of countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The two countries circulated a draft resolution on Tuesday that mirrors the measure that the US vetoed in the Security Council on Monday, reaffirming that any decision on the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be rescinded.
resolution that was presented by both Yemen and Turkey on behalf of the Arab group and OIC
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-threatens-to-slash-aid-to-countries-backing-un-jerusalem-vote/
and also
When asked if U.S. aid to Yemen would diminish given that Yemen drafted the resolution and was one of the 120 countries that voted for it, Lenderking said he was not sure but Trump’s threat was not empty.
and
The full UN vote - which the US & Israel lost 128-9, with 35 brave abstentions - is here: (image)
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/943902006141472769
and
Last week @nikkihaley defended the administration of ex #Yemen president Hadi in the presence of his ambassador. Today he ignored her & voted against #US. Empty threats or political theater?
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/943882958452162560
(* B K P)
Film: How much do Americans know about the crisis in #Yemen?
The International Rescue Committee took to the streets of New York and Washington DC to find out
(note: people may know nothing or little, but they all seem to care. Thank you)
https://www.rescue.org/video/man-street-what-do-you-know-about-yemen = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1592879837431707/ (part only)
(* B P)
The Yemenis trapped between war and US extreme vetting
'The silent Muslim ban'
On Sunday, more than 200 Yemenis in Djibouti received letters that their visas were denied, according to a dozen applicants who contacted immigration lawyer Julie Goldberg and Yemeni-American community activist Ibraham al-Qatabi.
The reason given was Trump's proclamation, signed in September and put into force this month.
"This is completely, flat out discrimination," al-Qatabi told Al Jazeera. "This is unconstitutional and immoral," he added.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/yemenis-trapped-war-extreme-vetting-171216090452611.html
and
(A P)
Oakland Woman Gives Firsthand Account of Travel Ban's Impact
Putting a face on the Trump administration’s travel ban, an Oakland woman of Yemeni descent said her diabetic father, living in Yemen, was denied entrance to the U.S. to get medical treatment. Sam Brock reports.
(B P)
The talented Ms. Haley: UN envoy sets bar for US diplomacy dangerously low
Since taking the reins in January, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has excelled at drumming up controversy in the form of impassioned speeches, occasionally heavy on visual aids, but invariably light on substance.
The former South Carolina governor, with very little experience in international diplomacy, vowed upon receiving her ambassadorship in January to protect Israel from international bullying – a rather peculiar promise from a diplomat presumably representing American interests.
https://www.rt.com/usa/413778-nikki-haley-gaffes-un/
(A P)
Trump is 'fired up' about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen
President Donald Trump has become increasingly concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has been made worse by years of fighting between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led international coalition, a United Kingdom official tells CNN.
Trump got "fired up" while discussing the crisis during a recent phone call with British Prime Minister Theresa May, the official said.
During the call with May, Trump sounded angry while discussing the suffering of the civilians and told the prime minister that more pressure must be applied to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to prevent it, the official said.
http://us.cnn.com/2017/12/20/politics/trump-yemen-humanitarian-crisis/index.html
My comment: Trump looks like an idiot, as he himself had further fueled this crisis.
Comment: The masterminds, those carrying out, the perpetrators of crimes against #Yemen have no right to say ONE word on Yemen.
We are not interested in theatrical shows.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1592745914111766
(A P)
Trump’s State Dept top legal advisor pick signals shift on Yemen
The Trump administration's pick for top legal advisor at the State Department has acknowledged the US could be violating its own laws and international law by restricting delivery of humanitarian aid in Yemen.
US statutes prohibiting American assistance to countries preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid may be applied in the case of Yemen, State Department legal advisor Jennifer Newstead indicated to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) in April, according to Foreign Policy. That would be a shift in current policy, which is more compromising towards the US Foreign Assistance Act.
https://www.rt.com/usa/413808-trump-state-dept-yemen-saudi/
My comment: In April? And what had happened? Nothing.
(* B K P)
US Provides Military Aid To More Than 70 Percent Of World’s Dictatorships
About three-quarters of the world’s dictatorships currently receive military assistance from the United States. This is a strange record for a nation that consistently justifies its sweeping foreign interventions as aimed at “promoting democracy” and “thwarting evil dictatorships.”
For much of its history, the United States government has explained or defended its intervention in the affairs of other nations by framing such behavior as necessary to “promote democracy” abroad and to thwart the advance of “evil dictators.” While the use of those phrases has hardly dwindled over the years, establishment figures have been forced to admit in recent years that the U.S.’ democracy promotion efforts haven’t gone quite as planned.
For instance, last year, Foreign Policy published an article headlined “Why is America So Bad at Promoting Democracy in Other Countries?” There, Harvard professor Stephen M. Walt noted that most of the U.S.’ democracy promotion efforts abroad end in failure, with nearly a quarter of the world’s democracies having been degraded in the past 30 years. Though Walt blames the U.S.’ muddled history of military interventions for failing to spread democracy, a new analysis suggests that the reason for this troubling trend is not that democracy wasn’t promoted the “right” way, but rather that democracy was never meant to be promoted at all.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/us-provides-military-aid-70-percent-worlds-dictatorships/232478/
(unrated B P)
Film: The future of Saudi Arabia and its regional role
As the American administration nears its first anniversary, we are witnessing an approach that is new and different. “America First” naturally raises questions among allies and partners abroad about the scope and depth of U.S. involvement in world affairs. This year's Saban Forum discussions and webcast sessions focused on the U.S.-Israel relationship, the future of the Middle East, and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9B3u_quW10&app=desktop
Just a reminder from April 2015:
(* B K P)
US generals: Saudi intervention in Yemen ‘a bad idea’
Analysis: Some top officers question Washington’s support for Riyadh-led intervention, which they say is doomed
Michael Horton, a Yemen expert close to a number of officers at SOCOM and a consultant to the U.S. and U.K. governments, picked up on this debate. Within days of the Saudi intervention’s start, he said in an email that he was “confounded” by the intervention, noting that many in SOCOM “favor the Houthis, as they have been successful in rolling back AQ [Al-Qaeda] and now IS [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL] from a number of Yemeni governorates” — something that hundreds of U.S. drone strikes and large numbers of advisers to Yemen’s military had failed to accomplish.
Later, in a telephone interview, Horton expanded on that. “These constant reports that the Houthis are working for the Iranians are nonsense, but the view is right out of the neocon playbook,” he said. “The Israelis have been touting this line that we lost Yemen to Iran. That’s absurd. The Houthis don’t need Iranian weapons. They have plenty of their own. And they don’t require military training. They’ve been fighting Al-Qaeda since at least 2012, and they’ve been winning. Why are we fighting a movement that’s fighting Al-Qaeda?”
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A P)
British minister welcomes arrival of aid in Sana'a
Alistair Burt, the UK's Middle East minister, said the aircraft carried more than 70 tons of life-saving medicines and surgical supplies
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/british-minister-welcomes-arrival-of-aid-in-sana-a-1.689845
My comment: There still is no “unhindered access”.
(A P)
Prime Minister Theresa May's statement on the Saudi-led Coalition decision to extend access to Hodeidah port in Yemen.
I was appalled that the Houthis fired another ballistic missile at Riyadh on 19 December, and that they boasted the target was the Royal Palace. This is the second such incident in six weeks, which yet again deliberately targeted a populated area. Such attacks threaten regional security and prolong the conflict in Yemen and I call upon all those with influence over the Houthis to get them to stop.
The UK will continue to support efforts to strengthen implementation of the UN arms embargo and address Saudi Arabia’s legitimate security concerns, and strongly supports the UN’s investigations into the origins of the missiles.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-on-saudi-led-coalition-decision-to-extend-access-to-port-in-yemen and she told the same to the Saudi king: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-calls-with-king-salman-bin-abdulaziz-and-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-20-december-2017
My comment: An odd statement like all ones. The Saudis make a (up to now void) announcement and their western bedfellows applaude. - The Saudis daily target “a populated area”, and these raids are not intercepted and harm a lot. And a part of the bombs faling, and of the airplanes bombing, are British. And these Saudi attacks should not “threaten regional security”?? Oh no, if we make billions with this… There is so much hypocrisy in the story.
(A P)
Inspection should continue to prevent weapons smuggling into Yemeni territory: Theresa May
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, has received a telephone call from the British Prime Minister Theresa May.
During the call, May emphasised the need to continue the inspection procedures to prevent the smuggling of weapons and missiles to Yemeni territory, which have threatened the security and stability of neighboring countries and the region.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302655770
My comment: This “inspection” prevents an easy flow of necessary survival goods and causes delay to all imports. It seems odd anyway when Britain sells arms to Saudi Arabia and its allies for many billions and declares they want to “prevent the smuggling of weapons and missiles to Yemeni territory”.
(A P)
Crown Prince Salman to visit UK as May praises Saudi 'restraint' in Yemen
Invitation to London comes despite human rights concerns over a 'wave of repression' and condemnation of Saudi's bombing campaign in Yemen
My comment: “restraint”?? This even is cynical.Look at cp16.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(* A K P)
Raketenangriff auf Riad inakzeptabel
Die Bundesregierung verurteile den erneuten Raketenbeschuss aus dem Jemen auf die saudische Hauptstadt Riad "auf das Schärfste." Das sagte Regierungssprecher Seibert am Mittwoch in Berlin. Er forderte ein Ende der Raketenangriffe und eine diplomatische Lösung des Jemen-Konflikts.
Wie Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert am Mittwoch in der Regierungspressekonferenz sagte, könne es "keine Rechtfertigung für einen solchen Akt" geben. Die Bundesregierung appelliere deshalb erneut "an alle Parteien des Konfliktes im Jemen, die Spirale der Gewalt zu durchbrechen, die Kampfhandlungen unverzüglich einzustellen, politische Gespräche wiederzubeleben und die Blockade für humanitäre Hilfe vollständig aufzuheben."
Diese weitere militärische Eskalation durch die Huthi-Rebellen werde den Konflikt nur zusätzlich verschärfen, hatte bereits am Dienstag ein Sprecher des Auswärtigen Amtes geäußert.
and in English:
(* A K P)
Rocket attack on Riyadh unacceptable
The German government condemns the latest rocket attack from Yemen on the Saudi capital Riyadh "in the strongest possible terms." This was stated by government spokesperson Seibert in Berlin on Wednesday. He called for an end to the rocket attacks, and a diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Yemen
As government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday in the government press conference, there can be "no justification for such an act." The federal government therefore once again appeals "to all parties in the conflict in Yemen, to break the cycle of violence, immediately cease hostilities, revive political talks, and to completely lift the blockade for humanitarian aid."
(A P)
[Sigmar Gabriel]: »Saudi-Arabien ist der größte Spender humanitärer Hilfe im Jemen, aber dieser Fakt wird in Deutschland leider von einigen ignoriert.«
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/324007.tausend-tage-krieg.html
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
UAE imposes then lifts ban on Tunisian female travellers
Restriction applied to women and girls of all ages and those transferring in Dubai to flights to other destinations (with film)
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-bans-tunisian-female-nationals-entering-country-1563598784 and film also here https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/944278893611008000
(* B P)
Deep Pockets, Deep Cover: The UAE Is Paying Ex-CIA Officers to Build a Spy Empire in the Gulf
They hired Americans to professionalize their intelligence service. But how far can former U.S. spies go?
Former CIA and government officials were drawn to the Gulf nation by the promise of interesting work and, perhaps even more importantly, lucrative careers.
“The money was fantastic,” one former employee told FP. “It was $1,000 a day — you could live in a villa or in a five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi.”
The UAE’s reliance on foreigners to build its security institutions is not new, but the Gulf state has usually tried to keep the details of that help out of public view,
(* B P)
Worries about Malaysia's 'Arabisation' grow as Saudi ties strengthen
Malaysia’s growing ties to Saudi Arabia - and its puritan Salafi-Wahhabi Islamic doctrines - are coming under new scrutiny as concerns grow over an erosion of traditional religious practices and culture in the multi-ethnic nation.
A string of recent events has fueled the concern. Hostility toward atheists, non-believers and the gay community has risen. Two annual beer festivals were canceled after Islamic leaders objected. A hardline preacher, accused of spreading hatred in India, has received official patronage.
The government has backed a parliamentary bill that would allow harsh sharia punishments, such as amputations for theft and stoning for adultery. And after religious officials supported a Muslim-only laundromat, Malaysia’s mostly ceremonial royalty made a rare public intervention, calling for religious harmony.
My comment: Saudi Wahabisation almost everywhere. And the effects are everywhere the same. And the west backs all this.
(* A K P)
Erdogan: Turkey supports Saudi-led mission in Yemen
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara may 'consider giving logistical support' to ongoing military operation targeting Houthi positions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey supports Saudi-led military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In an interview with French network FRANCE 24, on Thursday, Erdogan said that Ankara may consider providing "logistical support" to the mission.
"We support Saudi Arabia's intervention," Erdogan told FRANCE 24. "Turkey may consider providing logistical support based on the evolution of the situation," he added.
The Turkish president called on Houthis and terrorist groups such al-Qaeda to withdraw from Yemen.
http://aa.com.tr/en/politics/erdogan-turkey-supports-saudi-led-mission-in-yemen/63257
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(B P)
Between Qatar and Yemen, Saudi has its hands full
Reuters reported that Saudi has permanently closed its only land border with Qatar, as the country continues to be rattled by an 8-month old Arab quartet-led blockade, namely the kingdom, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
According to Bloomberg, Qatar’s banking regulator started a legal investigation into the possible manipulation of its currency, securities and derivatives markets.
The central bank hired law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to lead the probe
http://ameinfo.com/money/economy/qatar-yemen-saudi/
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* A P)
#Boeing was awarded a $480.4M contract for the #RSAF repair support services effort. This program is comprised of logistical in-Kingdom repair & return of parts for F-15C/D/S/SA fleets & repair of aerospace ground equipment, hush house/open air test cell equipment, ETC: June 2025
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/944111961977049088
(* A P)
#Raytheon was awarded a $36.7M contract for the Advanced Tech. Receiver Card, a 4-channel receiver of simultaneous tracking patented direct measurement processing, ultra-tight GPS/inertial Nav. system coupling, innovative fast satellite acquisition for #SaudiArabia. ETC: Dec 2020
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/944114245280641024
(* A P)
#LockheedMartin was awarded a $944.9M mod. to a contract for the initial Fiscal 2018 PAC-3 production option exercise, including 54 U.S. MSE missiles, 24 Qatar MSE missiles, 130 #SaudiArabia Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) missiles & associated support equipment. ETC: Jan 2021
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/944116351500738560
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Film: A special episode about the looted antiques found in the house of the traitor Mahdi Mequla, where the episode reveals details and information about the large quantity of Yemeni artifacts belonging to the Yemeni kingdoms of Saba and Hamir, which were seized at the house of the traitor Mehdi Maqula after he surrendered himself before the security forces tore the conspiracy of treason [of Saleh].
The traitor was one of the earliest military leaders of the treacherous leader Saleh during his reign of Yemen, which lasted 33 years, during which the Yemeni heritage was a cheap commodity in the hands of Saleh and his gang traded in the lowest prices, like other capabilities of the Republic of Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1748549698509420/
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(* B T)
Waffen für den IS
Der IS hat bei der Verteidigung von Ramadi, Fallujah und Mossul gegen die Anti-IS-Koalition Schusswaffen und Munition aus Beständen von EU-Staaten in teils signifikanter Menge zur Verfügung gehabt. Dies belegen Recherchen der in Großbritannien ansässigen Organisation „Conflict Armament Research“ (CAR). Demnach haben zwei Staaten, die zu den wichtigsten Rüstungskunden auch Deutschlands gehören – die USA und Saudi-Arabien -, Kriegsgerät in Rumänien und Bulgarien erworben und es sodann aufständischen Milizen in Syrien zur Verfügung gestellt, die es offenbar zum Teil an den IS weitergeleitet haben. Das betrifft etwa Panzerabwehrraketen. Dabei erfolgte der Reexport nach Syrien ohne Kenntnis oder gar Zustimmung der ursprünglichen Lieferanten. Jihadisten zugearbeitet hat eine weitere Organisation, die vom Auswärtigen Amt kofinanziert worden ist: die Free Syrian Police. Sie hat Polizisten beschäftigt, die vom syrischen Al Qaida-Ableger ausgewählt wurden, und in zumindest einem Fall die Steinigung zweier Frauen ermöglicht.
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/7484/
(* B T)
Pentagon bestätigt zahlreiche militärische Operationen im Jemen - Rechtmäßigkeit zweifelhaft
Das Pentagon gab an, dass die USA in diesem Jahr "mehrere Bodenoperationen" und über 120 Luftschläge im Jemen durchgeführt haben. Die bisher weitgehend verdeckten militärischen Aktivitäten der Vereinigten Staaten in der Region werfen Fragen nach der Rechtmäßigkeit der Einsätze auf.
Die US-Streitkräfte haben in Jemen "mehrere Bodenoperationen und mehr als 120 Luftschläge im Jahr 2017 durchgeführt", heißt es in einer Erklärung des US Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Das US-Militär hoffe, al-Qaida auf der arabischen Halbinsel [AQAP] und den Islamischen Staat daran zu hindern, den Jemen "als Drehscheibe für terroristische Rekrutierung, Ausbildung und Operationsbasis für den weltweiten Export von Terror zu nutzen", heißt es in der Erklärung.
Die Anzahl von 120 Luftangriffe im Jemen würden eine Verdreifachung im Vergleich zum Vorjahr bedeuten.
Es gab bisher sporadische Berichte über US-Militäraktivitäten im Land. Das US-Central-Command gab Anfang des Monats an, dass fünf al-Qaida-Militaristen bei einem US-Luftangriff am 20. November im Gouvernement al-Baida’ im Jemen getötet wurden.
Zuvor herrschte weitgehend Unklarheit, das Pentagon hatte lediglich eingeräumt, dass die USA im Jemen "Leute vor Ort" haben.
(* B T)
U.S. MILITARY TARGETING ISIS AND AL-QAEDA IN SECRET YEMEN OPERATIONS USING GROUND FORCES
Elite U.S. forces are operating on the ground in Yemen against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday.
“U.S. forces have conducted multiple ground operations and more than 120 strikes in 2017,” U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, said in a statement.
The Department of Defense warned that ISIS, which has lost the majority of its territory in Iraq and Syria, has doubled in size in the country.
The ground operations have been taking place with the aim of disrupting “the ability of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS-Yemen to use ungoverned spaces in Yemen as a hub for terrorist recruiting, training and base of operations to export terror worldwide.”
The number of U.S. troops operating in Yemen remains unclear, but the Pentagon has acknowledged that a small number of American troops have aided an operation to clear the central Yemeni region of Shabweh from Al-Qaeda militants, alongside the forces of the United Arab Emirates, which is backing the internationally recognized Sunni government in the country with Saudi Arabia.
http://www.newsweek.com/yemen-pentagon-confirms-boots-ground-against-isis-and-al-qaeda-754960
(* B T)
The US Campaign Against ISIS Is Entering A Deadly New Phase In Yemen
The Pentagon is facing a new familiar foe in the war-torn country: ISIS.
But the tactical successes detailed by CENTCOM come amid a sobering intelligence assessment: ISIS-Y “has doubled in size over the past year” despite U.S. efforts to disrupt the group’s training and recruiting hubs in Yemen’s “ungoverned spaces.” With ISIS’s former caliphate now a desperate diaspora following the fall of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, Yemen may join the ranks of Africa’s Sahel as a bloody but little-known front in the Global War on Terror.
The fight against ISIS in Yemen will be messy.
As the Yemeni civil war drags on, worsening economic conditions and a devastating famine have created fertile ground for jihadist groups like ISIS to grow its ranks as the older Al Qaeda network loses ground to the U.S. and its allies.
http://taskandpurpose.com/us-military-isis-yemen/ and also https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/dec/21/islamic-state-yemen-has-doubled-size/
(A T)
A reported U.S. drone strike killed two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants in al Kawlah area, Wadi Abidah, Ma’rib governorate, northern Yemen on December 19. A reported U.S. airstrike also targeted suspected AQAP militants in al Bayda governorate, central Yemen on December 15.[3]
https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-december-20-2017 and https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943474606345658370 (photos)
(A T)
AQAP militants target Emirati-backed forces in Shabwah governorate, eastern Yemen [4]
and
#AQAP claims targeting Shabwani Elite forces checkpoint at Al-Musayniah junction in #Shabwa with 120mm mortar and machine gun fire at 3am on Tuesday Dec 19
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943448494538240000
Militants opened fire on a Shabwani Elite forces vehicle killing 1 soldier and wounding another in Ayn Bamabad town in Rudum district #Shabwa.
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943451863713591296
(A T)
AQAP militants target al Houthi forces in al Bayda governorate, central Yemen[5]
(A T)
The day after CENTCOM's assessment on lessened video production, AQAP releases two attack videos from its Wilayat Ibb (photos)
https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/943844159475109888
and
(A T)
#AlQaeda #Yemen posts a 1 minute video of Ansar al-Shari'a in Ibb blowing up Houthi vehicles in 2 roadside bombs on 16 Nov in al-Sabra & 18 Dec in Damt. Poor quality, decline in frequency of such videos & current time lag between events & posts imply #AQAP is under pressure (photos9
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/944139157680640001 and see also https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/944313204821258240
(B T)
Stammesvertreter: Al-Kaida-Propagandachef durch US-Drohne im Jemen getötet
Bei einem US-Drohnenangriff im Jemen ist nach Angaben von Stammesvertretern der Propagandachef des Terrornetzwerks Al-Kaida getötet worden. Der in Saudi-Arabien geborene Abu Hadschar al-Makki sowie drei weitere Dschihadisten seien in Wadi Obeida in der Provinz Marib östlich der Hauptstadt Sanaa getötet worden
(B T)
US drone strike kills Qaeda propaganda chief in Yemen
The propaganda chief of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was among six jihadists killed in two separate US drone strikes in Yemen, tribal sources said on Thursday.
The Wednesday evening strikes came as Washington revealed that US forces have carried out more than 120 air strikes against jihadists in Yemen this year
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943898386784174080 and https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943905381368995840
(* B K T)
By US Dep. of Defence: Centcom Officials Provide Update on Recent Counterterrorism Strikes in Yemen
U.S. Central Command officials announced today that U.S. forces have conducted multiple ground operations and more than 120 strikes this year to remove key leaders and disrupt the ability of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS-Yemen to use ungoverned spaces in Yemen as a hub for terrorist recruiting, training, and base of operations to export terror worldwide.
“The removal of key facilitators in this region will interrupt al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s freedom of movement and likely force the group into a reactionary posture, limiting their ability to challenge Yemeni security forces and partnered advances,” said Army Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a Centcom spokesman.
“U.S. forces also expanded counterterrorism operations in October to encompass both al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS. This parallel targeting effort is required to prevent ISIS-Yemen from filling the vacuum left by a diminished al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula footprint or influence in the region,” he said.
Ongoing operations pressuring the network have also degraded al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s propaganda production
“Every strike, every raid and every partnered operation advance the defeat of these violent extremist organizations. U.S. forces will continue to use all effective measures to degrade the groups’ ability to export terror.”
https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1401445/centcom-officials-provide-update-on-recent-counterterrorism-strikes-in-yemen/ nad by Centcom: http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1401383/update-on-recent-counterterrorism-strikes-in-yemen/
My comment: Be aware what a lot of propaganda is here. These raids and operations on the ground killed many civilians also, fueled the hatred against the US and thus helped the terrorists to recruit new fighters and supporters.
(* B K T)
More than 120 US air strikes in Yemen in 2017: Pentagon
US forces have conducted more than 120 air strikes against jihadists in Yemen this year, officials announced Wednesday, under a long-running campaign that has intensified since President Donald Trump took office.
Most of the strikes have been against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which the United States says is bent on planning attacks in America.
The Pentagon has also been attacking a local branch of the Islamic State group, which it says has doubled in size over the last year.
In addition to the air strikes, likely mostly conducted by drone, US forces have also conducted a series of ground raids.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5199811/More-120-US-air-strikes-Yemen-2017-Pentagon.html and (more details) http://thehill.com/policy/defense/365896-us-military-acknowledges-multiple-ground-operations-120-airstrikes-in-yemen and https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-confirms-u-s-ground-operations-yemen-n831616 and http://www.newsweek.com/yemen-pentagon-confirms-boots-ground-against-isis-and-al-qaeda-754960?piano_t=1
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Yemen’s Saleh was ‘assassinated’ by Iranian Guards, his lawyer says
The private lawyer of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Thursday that the slain leader was killed by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Mohammed al-Masuri referred to what he called an “assassination” and that the Guards had planned to kill Saleh with the help of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.
Masuri pledged he would soon reveal further details of Iran’s involvement in Saleh’s killing
My comment: This sounds odd.
(A P)
Saudis blame Houthi missile attacks for harsh Yemen blockade
Despite sharp UN warnings that the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade of Yemen could trigger the largest famine the world has seen for decades, the missile attacks give credence to Saudi coalition’s claim that easing the blockade would help the smuggling of weapons, including missiles from Iran, into Houthi-held Yemeni territory.
Granted, the blockade causes non-military shortages, but lifting it ensures the Houthi militants will get more missiles to fire at the population centers in the Gulf states, possibly killing civilians if missile-interception attempts fail.
http://www.atimes.com/houthi-missiles-give-rationale-saudi-blockade-yemen/
My comment: This is one of the most crazy articles I read in the last time.
(A P)
Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: New Mechanism to Monitor Yemeni Ports
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen revealed a new mechanism by the UN to intensify inspection and checking at the Yemeni ports and to ensure that no arms are smuggled from the Iranian regime or any other source to the Houthi militias.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said that the joint forces, after Nov.4, conducted a comprehensive revision and held a meeting with the UN experts in Riyadh in which gaps were determined in previous mechanism and a new one was put.
My comment: The UN once had told that this simply would be not necessary. “intensify inspection” simply means more obstacles to sending everything (food, medicine, fuel etc.) to Yemen.
(A P)
[This seems to be a new propaganda initiative: videos said to show air raids on Houthi militia]
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943828591527198720
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943826980323168256
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943824296203431944
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943822465846906880
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943821826039443458
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943819283326480385
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943818330506448896
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/943817073049985024
(A P)
Theresa May voices concern over Houthi blockade of aid to Yemen
British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed her concern over the continued blockade by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias of humanitarian aid reaching the Yemeni people as well as their efforts to destabilize the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In a statement issued on Thursday, May hailed the steps taken by the Arab Coalition to keep the Yemeni port of Hodeidah open in order to receive relief supplies and commercial shipments amid the increasing intensity of the Houthi aggressions and provocations.
My comment: This is odd as May’s concern only was the Saudi blockade. Houthi blockade to aid is just local, Saudi blockade is universal.
(A P)
Iran Seeks Breathing Room Through Yemen Missile Attacks
What is the objective behind the recent surge of ballistic missile attacks staged by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias against Saudi Arabia?
With the Saudi-led coalition retaking 85% of the country from the Houthis, Tehran understands fully its Yemen campaign is coming to a dismal end. All the while, the Iranian regime faces increasing mayday scenarios domestically and abroad.
Iran is a regime established on crises: Unable to resolve one or a number of dilemmas, or anticipating others in the making, Tehran resorts to launching new turmoil.
The mentality of this regime, and its four decades of unjustified rule, has resulted in the status quo of constantly choosing between bad and worse – by Heshmat Alavi
( A P)
Blame Tehran for Al Houthi missiles
Rebels are being armed, trained and led by the duplicitous regime in Iran that talks peace but spawns violence
There is no depth that is too low for Al Houthi rebels as they wage a self-serving, sectarian and seditious campaign to divide and destroy Yemen as never before. The latest cowardly and unconscionable act was the launching of a ballistic missile against the suburbs of Riyadh on Tuesday, and only the swift, expert and accurate response of the defence forces of Saudi Arabia prevented what would have undoubtedly been a loss of life episode on the city’s residence.
This brazen act is the third such launch in recent months and underlines why it is necessary to bring every ready and available force to bear on Al Houthi forces. Until such a time as these insurgents, who have refused every reasonable entreaty to talk peace and join in the future efforts to rebuild Yemen as a stable and secure nation, are eradicated, our Arab brothers there will never know peace.
http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/blame-tehran-for-al-houthi-missiles-1.2144557
My comment: A propaganda roundup in short. Well, It’s the Hadi government who is blocking all peace efforts.
(A P)
Spokesman of coalition forces, ambassador of kingdom to Yemen: Attacks of Huthi militia on Yemeni people and kingdom come with support of Iranian regime
Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Yemen Mohamed Al Jaber confirmed that the attacks of the Houthi militia on the Yemeni people and the kingdom comes with the support of the Iranian regime, which provided the Yemeni people with only death by supporting and funding the militias and supplying them with qualitative weapons, ammunition and ballistic missiles in clear violation of Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2231, and continues to send elements of the Iranian Republican Guard and its arm Hezbollah terrorist organization to Yemen to train these militias in special training camps and provide them with the necessary techniques and experts to deal with weapons and the assembly of ballistic missiles and launch them on populated cities of the kingdom in order to prolong the war, disrupt the political process, kill the Yemeni people and threaten the safety and security of Yemen and the countries of the region and sea lanes and international peace and security.
Al Jaber pointed out that since the year 2015, the kingdom has provided more than eight billion dollars of humanitarian and development assistance to the brotherly Yemeni people and will continue to support our brothers in Yemen to confront the hunger and poverty caused by the Iranian-backed militias that have killed and committed crimes against the people of Yemen and the kingdom, stressing that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in continuation of its concern for the brotherly Yemeni people, is currently working on finalizing the comprehensive humanitarian operations plan,
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1700829 = http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/d4c7388a6cdb4a04bceea059c5c4ee42
My comment: An anti-Iranian propaganda-roundup.
And
(AP)
Details Announced on Expanded Approach to Sustainably Address Humanitarian Situation in Yemen
NEWS PROVIDED BY Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
Humanitarian Plan Overview by the Kingdom's Ambassador to Yemen, Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber
The comprehensive humanitarian efforts aim to remedy the human condition in Yemen, through providing humanitarian aid and commercial shipments of foodstuffs, petroleum products, and other commercial goods delivered to the Yemeni people in all regions of Yemen
My comment: That’s more of the bombing benefactors.
(A P)
Over 11,000 Houthis killed in 3 months: Saudi official
Number of the ballistic missiles targeted Saudi Arabia increased to 83, says coalition spokesman
More than 11,000 Houthis were killed in Yemen over the last three months, said a Saudi coalition forces spokesperson.
"The continuation of such missile attacks means that Iran-Houthi militias have escalated the tension severely, and it shows that weapons smuggling continues through aid channels," Maliki said.
He also said that the international community began to realize the Iranian regime’s interventions and its controlling of some terrorist organizations in the world.
"Before the coalition forces started operations in March 2015, Houthis seized 90 percent of the country. Legitimate forces already controlling 85 percent of the territory of Yemen."
Spokesman Maliki warned that it will be a graveyard for anyone who violates Saudi Arabia’s borders
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/over-11-000-houthis-killed-in-3-months-saudi-official/1010661 and by Saudi media https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/21/Saudi-led-Coalition-in-Yemen-83-ballistic-missiles-fired-into-Saudi-Arabia.html
(A P)
Yemeni anchor who announced brother’s death at Houthi hands speaks out
My message to the Houthis is that no matter how tyrannical and fascist they are, their wrongful uprising will end, and that the Yemenis who overthrew the clerical monotheism on September 26, 1962 are going to make it impossible to give in to their project, their defeat is imminent, and that justice is around the corner, soon Iran will abandon them to meet their fate which is total defeat.
My message to the Yemenis is that there is no way for us other than to cling to legitimacy in order to restore dignity and our country.
(A P)
Iran's missiles and Houthi Puppet
Targeting the Saudi Capital of Riyadh with ballistic missiles, launched by the criminal Houthi Militias-the Iranian arm in Yemen, represents an Iranian insistence to commit aggressive conducts and hostile actions following the repeated political and military losses in various parts of the Middle East especially in Yemen. These Iranian practices and actions represent a state of madness, hostile and aggressive practices.
The Iranian ballistic missile, intercepted by the Saudi air defenses south of Riyadh yesterday, is a wrong message in an incorrect timing. This recent hostile action proves the confusion of the Supreme Leader of the Khomeini revolution and withdrawal from the world into isolation.
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/bc7c22b5bdfe4cc6b99a099f0fad798a
My comment: Odd propaganda. The Houthi missile attacks have nothing to do with the Iranians, but a lot with Saudi air raids on Yemen.
(A P)
Hadi: Military Operations Continue Until Liberation of Yemeni Territories
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said the military operations will not stop until all the Yemeni territories are liberated from Houthi rebel militants.
In a meeting with ambassadors of the G19 supporting Yemen, attended by GCC Secretary-General Abdulatif al-Zayani, Hadi said no dialogue or consultations can be held unless they are based on the three relevant terms of reference, which are ending the coup, handing over weapons to the state and withdrawing from cities and state institutions.
My comment: It’s the Hadi government who blocks all peace efforts. Hadi does not want peace, he wants surrender. Back to Square One everybody.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(A K PS)
#RSAF Typhoon, #EAF F-16 Block 40 and #UAEAF F-16 Block 60 returning back from missions in support of Opr #RestoreHope, by: @BSF6592 (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/944247457784922115
(A K PH)
Civilian injured in airstrike on Saada
A civilian was seriously injured by an air raid when US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition warplanes targeted the highway in Monabeh district of Saada province, a security official told Saba on Friday.
The official added that the US-Saudi aggression air force launched a raid on Azqul area of Sehar district, in which a civilian’s water truck was targeted.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482439.htm
My comment: Attacking a water truck means no water this day for a village or neighbourhood.
(* A K PH)
Two airstrikes hit food store in Hodeidah
The US-backed Saudi aggression coalition warplanes on Friday targeted a food warehouse in Hodeidah province and destroyed it, an official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482437.htm
and
Hodeidah Pictures of some of the effects of destruction in the food storage warehouses of Bonyan Development Foundation after being targeted by the aviation today noon several raids,
A number of foodstuffs belonging to the merchant Abdulrahman Suhail were also targeted. A large part of them were destroyed and some of them burned.
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1758370387792281
My comment: How many people could have been fed by this?
and
(* A K)
Statement of condemnation and condemnation raised by .. Organization of the pioneers of justice for development and rights ..
We are in the Organization of the pioneers of justice for development and rights condemned and disguised .. The terrible crime committed by the aircraft of the Alliance of Aggression on Friday, 22/12/2017 on targeting and bombing humanitarian food convoys where the fighters targeted the alliance of aggression with a number of air gases a group of relief stores for the Foundation Bonyan Development, Which is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the targeting of civilians first and protection of the second, which is the food basis of protection and everyone knows that it is in a region suffering from a deadly famine .. The purely civilian nature of the crime scene confirms the intent of the continuation of coalition forces The violation of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law, including the principle of humanity, the principle of distinction and the principle of proportionality, which makes this crime amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and is an extension of the series of war crimes and genocide committed by the Saudi coalition aircraft against civilians over 1000 ) Days
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=140008380042483&id=100020999643168
(A K PS)
12 killed in Saudi-led airstrikes on Houthi reinforcements in Yemen
A total of 12 fighters of the Shiite Houthi group were killed in airstrikes conducted by Saudi-led warplanes near the country's southeastern region of Shabwa on Friday, a military official told Xinhua.
"Fighter jets of the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes and bombed a convoy of reinforcements for the pro-Houthi forces in a road between al-Bayda and southeastern Shabwa province," the local military official said on condition of anonymity.
A number of military vehicles were completely destroyed by the airstrikes in addition to the killing of 12 Houthi fighters in the area, the source said.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/23/c_136846228.htm
(* A K PH)
Film: The crime of aggression against the innocent in Bihan Shabwa 21-12-2017
A new crime of the Saudi American air force in the area of Korin Bihan Directorate in the province of Shabwa, where the crime left 6 martyrs after the targeting of their car
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1747565681941155/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/943956389877207040
(A K PH)
Film: Aggression targeted farm and school in the surgical Hodeida 21-12-2017
The Saudi American Air Adnan in the framework of a series of successive crimes targeting a farm belonging to a citizen as well as a school in the Directorate of Al Jrahi in the province of Hodeidah
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1747570551940668/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/943958326139871232
(A K PH)
Warplanes of the US-Saudi aggression coalition launched right air strikes on Sanhan and Bani Bahlol districts, as well as Hamdan district and Sawad camp on the outskirts of the capital Sanaa, a security official told Saba on Thursday.
One citizen was killed when one airstrike hit his home in Sanhan
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482322.htm
(A K PH)
The US-Saudi Arabian Air Force launched nine raids on several directorates in Amran governorate.
A local source in the province that the air Saudi aggression US launched five raids on the Directorate of Houth targeted the government complex research, which was previously targeted by several raids from the former and led to the destruction of the building and finally when the inspection of the building and found a rocket inside the complex did not explode.
One of the raids targeted the house of a citizen, Mabkhout Nasser al-Ma'amari, in which the tenant was located Bakr Abdulrahman Al-Ushaie with his children where and the house is located next to the compound from the east and settled in the house did not explode, which led to damage to the house in part did not get human damage.
The source pointed out that the aircraft returned to target Jabal al-Marha near the cement factory Amran three raids (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1757607417868578
(A K PH)
Two civilians killed in Sa'ada
The US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged on Wednesday an air raid on the main road in the district of al-Safra in Sa'ada province, killing two civilians.
A military official told Saba that the aggressive warplanes launched the raid on the main road in the area of Akwan in the district, killing the two citizens and causing damage to the main road.
The official said that the hostile warplanes launched two other raids on the same main road in the area, injuring critically a woman.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482262.htm
(* B K)
The Yemen Data Project released a report on air raids: during the first half of December 2017, 270 air raids were recorded, of which 46 air raids targeted military sites and 98 targeted non-military sites (including 33 air raids on residential areas and 4 on educational facilities). Since March 2015, 15 589 air raids were recorded, of which nearly one third (31%) targeted non-military sites.
(* A K)
Saudi-Arabien bombardiert Huthi-Standorte im Jemen
Einen Tag nach dem vereitelten Raketenangriff auf Riad hat ein von Saudi-Arabien geführtes Bündnis die Huthi-Rebellen im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen bombardiert. Bei den zwei Luftangriffen in der nördlichen Provinz Saada seien elf Zivilisten getötet worden, berichtete der Leiter der örtlichen Gesundheitsbehörde, Abdelellah al-Esi. Vier weitere Unbeteiligte seien verletzt worden. Al-Esi zufolge konnten die Helfer den Ort des Bombardements zunächst nicht erreichen, weil die Kampfjets noch immer über dem Gebiet flögen.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2017-12/huthi-rebellen-rakete-jemen-riad-bombadiert
Mein Kommentar: Acht Verletzte (s.u.). Was bitte ist ein “Huthi-Standort”?? Die Toten sind Zivilisten. Westlicher Dummsprech.
(* A K PH)
11 citizens killed, 8 wounded in aggressive airstrikes on Saada
At least 11 citizens were killed and eight others were wounded when Saudi aggressive airstrikes targeted a citizen’s house in the city of Saada on Wednesday.
A security official told Saba that the aggressive Saudi warplanes launched two raids on the house of Mohammed al-Sheikh in the central of Saada city, which led to the death of 11 citizens, including women and children, and wounding eight others.
The official said the air strikes targeted the house, which is located a few meters away from Al-Khadra’a School for primary education, causing a state of panic among hundreds of the school students, as well as the burning of a citizen’s car while passing through the public street.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482233.htm and https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/20/dozens-killed-in-saudi-led-coalition-airstrike-on-yemens-saada (stating 19 wounded)
and
(* A K PH)
The US-Saudi Aggression warplanes launched two airstrikes on citizen's house and ambulances in the center of Sa'ada city, which led to kill 12 civilians, including women, children and paramedics, injure 8 others. Also, cars and motorcycles belong to the citizens were burned and homes and property were damaged .. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1757603131202340
and
(* A K PH)
Names of victims
https://twitter.com/RanaHarbi/status/943610891488120838
(* A K PH)
The US-Saudi Aggression Zionist Air Force launched two raids on the home of a citizen and ambulances in the center of the city of Sa'ada, which led to the deaths of 12 civilians, including women, children and paramedics, injuring 8 others. Also, cars and degrees of citizens were burned and homes and property were damaged.
Names of 12 killed (among them six between 6 months and 15 years old) and 8 injured (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1757590961203557
more photos
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1757599587869361
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1591653644220993
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/943512790618333184
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/943493979273908224
and film: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/videos/1757525481210105/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/943611100653907969
and one day after
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1747559735275083/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/943962138699354115
and
(A K)
Save the Children strongly condemns the Saudi-UAE led coalition airstrikes on Bab Najran in Saada last night which killed 11 and injured 8 civilians, and sends a strong reminder to all parties to the conflict of the importance of protecting civilians and respecting International Humanitarian Law.
(A K PH)
3 civilians killed, 3 injured in US-Saudi airstrikes on Baydaa
At least three citizens were killed and three others injured when US-Saudi aggression coalition warplanes waged two airstrikes on Qrashia district Baydha province, an official told Saba on Wednesday.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482203.htm and
(A K PS)
House that was mistakenly targeted by a coalition airstrike yesterday in #Bayhan #Shabwa. (photo)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943463641323511809
and
(A K PS)
Houthis casualties in Coalition raids in al Bayda province
The warplanes launched several air raids on the Hamma al Makhnaq area of al Qurashiah, which led to the destruction of two military vehicles of the Houthis, the source told Almasdaronline.
The gunmen who were aboard were killed and wounded
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96185
(A K PH)
Dec. 20, Sanaa: Some of the effects of the destruction caused by the bombing of the dawn of the day on the building of the House of Representatives "under construction"
The object of the Sixtieth Street era tour. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1757589427870377
and
(A K PH)
Film: Aggression targeting civilians in different parts of the area of Al-Suad south of the capital # Sana'a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC03fXe6bVY = https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/vb.1127621230602273/1746631432034580/?type=2
and
(A K)
Film: Krieg im Jemen - Menschen fliehen in Panik als saudi-geführte Luftangriffe Hauptstadt treffen
Die saudi-geführte Koalition hat gestern eine Reihe von Luftangriffen in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa durchgeführt. Angeblich sollen Wohn- und Industriestandorte getroffen worden sein. Aufnahmen aus der Stadt zeigen Zivilisten, die vor den Bombeneinschlägen in Panik fliehen, kleine Kinder schreien vor Angst. Ein Augenzeuge berichtet, dass die Luftangriffe eine Fabrik trafen. Es gibt keine Berichte über Tote oder Verletzte.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X3yqIFcF2U
and English:
(A K)
Film: Terror and panic in Yemen as Saudi airstrikes rock capital city – video
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/terror-panic-yemen-saudi-airstrikes-rock-capital-city-video/
(A K PH)
More air raids reported on:
Dec. 22:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482443.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482441.htm Hajjah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482438.htm Marib prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482436.htm Hodeida airport
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482433.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482431.htm Nehm
Dec. 21:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482379.htm Hodeidah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482378.htm Mahwit prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482297.htm Amran prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482330.htm Court, government complex Amran prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482299.htm and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482327.htm farm, Hodeidah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482303.htm and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482320.htm Hajjah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news482321.htm Vocational institute, Marib prov.
(A H K)
Yemen TV presenter announces brother’s death on air
It was one of the most difficult news bulletins that Mohammed al-Dhabyani had presented.
His voice cracked as he told viewers that his brother Amin's body had arrived home in the south-western Yemeni province of Dhamar.
He paused and regained his composure before then describing in detail how his brother had died.
Amin, he said, was one of dozens of detainees killed last week in air strikes on a military police camp run by the rebel Houthi movement in the capital, Sanaa, by a Saudi-led coalition that is backing Yemen's government in the country's civil war.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42425847
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(* A K PH)
Houthi forces strike back in western Yemen, several areas captured
Despite heavy airstrikes from the Saudi Coalition, the Houthi forces were able to capture most of the Yakhtul area, forcing the Southern Resistance fighters to retreat south towards the Mocha Coast.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/houthi-forces-strike-back-western-yemen-several-areas-captured/
(A K)
The Saudi-led coalition intercepted an al Houthi ballistic missile aimed for Ma’rib city, northern Yemen on December 21. Coalition and Hadi government forces are concentrated in Ma’rib.[4]
(A K)
Al Houthi forces are consolidating in northwestern Taiz governorate, central Yemen. Al Houthi forces deployed from Taiz city toward Shara’b al Salam district and reinforced the mountainous al Mikhlaf area with forty vehicles on between December 19 and 20.[2]
(* A K)
Activists Call for IRC to Rescue Citizens of Wady Khur and Bihan
Social media and human rights activists called for International Red Cross to urgently interfere to end the siege and rescue citizens of under-siege areas who suffer from serious decrease of food, medicine, children milk and water supplies. Citizens of Ghania, Abia, Lehmar, Jehreba, Kerben, Hazoum Al-Huraiby, Al-Kouibel, Hesn Jaeem, Moukes, Al-Sabeel, Al-Zera, Mewal and other villages are under siege since last Friday. Citizen are under panic of clashes between the southern army and resistance and Al-Houthi militias in addition to air raids of the Arab Ally
http://en.smanews.org/activists-call-for-irc-to-rescue-citizens-of-wady-khur-and-bihan
(A K PS)
Yemeni Army Captures Houthi Militia Field Commander
The Yemeni army said that its forces captured a field commander working close to the leader of Iranian Houthi militias Abdul Malik Al-Houthi.
A Yemeni military source confirmed that army forces in Hamak Front, located between the provinces of Ibb and Dhali, captured the militia chief in Ibb, named Hussein Al-Houthi, and three of his assistants.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1700920
and
(A K PS)
Army: Houthi commander arrested in S. Yemen
Hussein, who is reported to be close to Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, “is now being interrogated by the Yemeni army”, the same source asserted.
“Army intelligence tracked him down and surveilled him before eventually capturing him near a positon [in Dhale] held by the army’s 30th Brigade,” the source added.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171221-army-houthi-commander-arrested-in-s-yemen/
(A K PS)
Al Khocha: Houthis shelling injure woman and her two children, government forces repulse violent attack
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96183
(* A K PS)
Houthi militants kill woman and her six children in western Taiz, medics say
In a statement to Al-Mashehad al-Yemeni daily newspaper and website, the rebel militants mounted heavy shelling at the village striking a house killing the family inside it "a mother and her six children in their house" in al-Wazi'iya district in western Taiz.
The militia fighters also shelled the College of Medicine buildinh and the surrounding neighborhoods in other western parts of the city.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-13867
(A K PS)
Local reports that Hadi government forces are deploying from Shabwah towards al Bayda governorate, central #Yemen. Government and coalition forces have been absent in al Bayda, where #AQAP fights against al Houthi forces alongside tribal militias
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/943868634874695680
(* A K PS)
Thread: Fighting at Bayhan
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/943687577755779072
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B P)
SAUDI ARABIA'S GOVERNMENT MIGHT BE GETTING HELP FROM SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS TO SHUT DOWN DISSENT
Social media users in Saudi Arabia took to Twitter to ask why the company had removed the hashtag right after it caught fire—but apparently never got an answer.
Abdulaziz is one of several Saudi dissidents and critics who say their social media posts opposing the Arab nation's leadership have vanished or been targeted by hackers advocating for the Saudi royal family.
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have struggled to work with governments that want the companies to comply with local laws, citing national security concerns.
“The Saudi government is fully engaged in this,” Fidler continued. “Like other authoritarian governments, they are using social media as a weapon against these individuals.”
http://www.newsweek.com/saudi-arabia-crack-down-social-media-dissent-754257
(* B K P)
Ein Heerlager im Wüstensand von Dschibuti
Soldaten aus den USA, China und sechs weiteren Ländern führen im ostafrikanischen Dschibuti eine friedliche Koexistenz – und starten von dort aus Einsätze in ganz Afrika.
Camp Lemonnier gehört zu den bestbewachten Orten der Welt. Auf den einzigen ständigen US-Stützpunkt auf afrikanischem Boden werden nur Handverlesene nach wochenlanger bürokratischer Prozedur vorgelassen. Und dabei ist das amerikanische noch das gastfreundlichste aller Militärlager im Wüstenstaat Dschibuti: Die anderen bleiben ausländischen Berichterstattern verschlossen. Auf 44 Quadratkilometer verteilt sind hier neben Franzosen, Italienern, Deutschen und Spaniern auch Japaner, Chinesen, US-Amerikaner und Soldaten aus den Arabischen Emiraten untergebracht.
Hinweis: Um den Artikel komplett lesen zu können, ist eine Registrierung erforderlich.
Anmerkung unseres Lesers D.G.: Das ist einer der seltenen Hintergrundreports, wie die globale Dominanz der westlichen Interessen durchgesetzt wird. Dass China darauf mit ähnlichen Mitteln reagiert wird dann natürlich als Gefahr betrachtet, wie die gestern präsentierte neue US Sicherheitsdoktrin zeigt.
https://www.badische-zeitung.de/ausland-1/ein-heerlager-im-wuestensand-von-dschibuti
(* A K)
Photographer creates billboards to show the brutal reality of Christmas in Yemen
A street photographer has aimed to highlght the brutal reality of the festive season in a warzone. In Made in Berlin, Igor Dobrowolski, exposes pre and post war life in Yemen. The snaps contrast our familiar Christmas with themes we don’t normally associate with the period: starvation, malnourished children and destruction.
In one photo, a frail mother clutches her malnourished child with a contrasting screenshot of presents. In another, a man clutches his head in disbelief as he lies in the rubble while another window shows a tree. So what prompted Igor to do this? He told Metro.co.uk that the motivation was the ‘suffering of innocent people’ and the desire to ‘show this forgotten horror which benefits mostly western governments who sell military equipment to target civilians’. (photos)
http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/20/photographer-creates-billboards-to-show-the-brutal-reality-of-christmas-in-yemen-7173256 and film https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1591619767557714/
Comment: These are such evocative desperate pictures comparing th horrors of war and starvation with the riches of the West.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156221823238641
(B H)
The Yemenis have developed a wood stove to replace the potgas as a result of the gas crisis and the sharp rise in its price! (photo)
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/943802952984166402
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-369-yemen-war-mosaic-369
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-369 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-369:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm und / and http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
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